Are dogs good for your health?
Not if they're behind the sofa...
Every morning since the Sunday before Christmas I have come down the stairs and opened the door to the kitchen with a feeling of anticipation and, if I’m honest, some dread. The reason - I’m concerned about what state the newest member of our household, a terrified Romanian rescue dog called Sophie, will be in. And that’s led me to ask myself a broader question - are dogs good for our health?
Before Sophie’s arrival after a 72 hour journey by road across Europe I was certain I knew the answer - of course dogs are a major contributor to wellbeing! After all, our beloved collie cross Cabbage, another rescue dog, had become an essential part of my exercise regime. We had been warned that she would be far too energetic for us, demanding three walks a day but for me that turned out to be a good thing, forcing me out for the early walk before 7 each morning, rain or shine.
That helped me battle middle-aged spread and became even more important after my Parkinson’s diagnosis because regular exercise is one of the few “non-pharmaceutical interventions” thought to have a beneficial effect on symptoms of the disease. And while Cabbage was not exactly an emotional support dog, she was certainly a much loved member of the household. Last year, with my wife away working half the week and the kids having flown the nest, I reflected that I was alone overnight in our house for the first time. How nice it would have been to have Cabbage for company.
So for all sorts of reasons we thought a new dog would be good for us. Late on a Friday evening, with Sophie due to arrive in the early hours, I sat thinking with excitement about our first walk together. But it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen. When it became light we took the poor trembling creature out into the garden to familiarise her with the London air before setting off to the park, But she dived under a table and hid among the flowerpots until we hauled her out and put a lead on her. She then dug her heels in and refused to move, so we took her inside and there she stayed, spending nearly all her time hidden behind a sofa, for the best part of five weeks.
Not only did my exercise regime go West, the Sophie situation was not great for my mental health either. I would lie awake at 4 in the morning worrying about her - why was she so scared, how could we persuade her out from behind the sofa, if she was ill how on earth would we get her to the vet?
I opened the door to the living room and kitchen each morning wondering what I would find. Believe it or not, I was relieved if I found evidence of her toilet activities, thankfully on the puppy pads we had laid out, and an empty dog bowl. More worrying was when the bowl was untouched, the pads pristine, and there was no sign of Sophie but a gentle scratching sound from behind the sofa. For weeks, it seemed, the household was on edge - though my wife remained much calmer, convinced that everything would work out in the end.
What, I wondered, was the evidence about the effects of dogs and other pets on human wellbeing? I turned to Dr Google and came across an article by America’s Centre for Disease Control. The CDC seems pretty certain about the benefits of pet ownership:
“They can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship.”
But it goes on to warn that “pets can sometimes carry harmful germs that can make us sick even when the pet appears healthy.” That echoes a warning from the British Veterinary Association which is concerned that the arrival of growing numbers of dogs from Eastern Europe which could be carrying diseases.
For a more scholarly view of the subject I went to the site of the British Psychological Society where I found a 2011 paper, The Value of Pets For Human Health. It reviews a wide range of studies showing the impact of pets on physical and mental health.
In 1980 researchers found that dog owners were 8.6 times more likely to still be alive one year after a heart attack than non-dog owners. (But cat owners beware - you’re more likely to die in the year after a coronary than those without a feline companion.)
Various studies found that ownership of a dog or a cat can help lessen the impact of stressful life-events such as divorce or bereavement, reduce levels of anxiety, loneliness and depression, and enhance feelings of autonomy, competence and self-esteem. Pets can help you with human interactions, I learned, with dogs best placed to serve as “social facilitators” because you have to take them out for walks.
At the moment, Sophie is not much of a social facilitator since she cowers every time somebody comes to the door, let alone enters the house. But in the last week, things have begun to improve. She has abandoned her place behind the sofa and now roams the kitchen, taking a great interest in the loading of the dishwasher and any cooking that is going on. When anyone arrives in the house she will retreat under the kitchen table, but she peers out when we are eating and will accept treats from our hands.
She has even ventured out into the garden several times - indeed the new problem is getting her back in, partly because she is still a little scared of us. All of this has been achieved by following the advice of a dog behaviour expert Simon Wooler who has taught us to advance only at Sophie’s pace.
In some ways, Simon’s most important work has been as a therapist for me, not Sophie, teaching me to stay calm in the face of setbacks and believe that things will turn out alright in the end. What is key, however, is that we have grown to love our frightened little animal and she is gradually beginning to trust us. One day - it could be weeks, it could be months - I am confident that Sophie and I will go for a walk. And that will be so good for my physical and mental wellbeing.
We have a Romanian rescue too (Willow) and what a journey we've been on. Willow came to us at eight months old, terrified of the world and everything in it. We were given terrible advice from so-called experts to get her out and about in the world as soon as possible, regardless of her concerns. If only we'd known to do things slower - that's why I'm so happy you have a good behaviourist on board; you're doing all the right things! Willow seemed to be coping well for a quite a while, until eventually she didn't. Her anxiety about people crossed in reactivity. We did loads of work helping her to feel comfortable and safe when out and about, then, sadly, one day, a man who was drunk was shouting about hating dogs. Willow barked at him in fear and he pinned her to the ground and hit her with his bag, then turned on me. Her fear of strangers went through the roof. A few weeks after that, my friend's dog attacked Willow out of the blue. Suddenly, she was terrified of dogs too. She shows it by making herself look and sound as loud and scary as possible.
My mental health took such a nose dive when this happened. Suddenly, we had to avoid everyone on walks - dogs and humans. An off-lead dog invading Willow's space could turn her into a barking, growling mess. She weighs 37kg, so people judge her as aggressive, even though she's actually far from it. People can be hostile. They say she should be muzzled but when she's muzzled, they shout out that muzzling is cruel! I hire secure fields several times a week for Willow to have fun and stress-free times outside, sometimes with the dog friends she still trusts from before the attack. These times are good for my mental health too.
Despite the worry and stress though, Willow is our everything - an absolute dream to live with. Once she trusts you, you get to see the amazing, goofy, sweet, intelligent, sensitive girl who loves unconditionally. I recently lost my dad and she has been this gentle, unwavering presence in the face of my grief. I wish the world could see her as we do. I wish people would be less judgemental. I wish we held dogs to less unrealistic standards (they aren't all the life and soul of the party). Life with Willow hasn't always been what I dreamed of but, my goodness, she has been one of my greatest teachers.
I agree with everything you say, dogs are very good for mental health and physical health. They make you exercise, get up etc. But there are also ups and downs, not just with rescue dogs, (my story is below, please feel free to ignore). They can be stressful worrying about them, I have 2 young labradors, for me sometimes wondering if I should part with them, doubting I am a good dog owner, with one of mine a constant concern that she may not be here next ….., she’s only 4, dodgy kidneys and cancer, but as mad as a box of frogs. There are scrapes and bruises occasionally. But they get me out, they provide me with security, and they are amazing companions. I think the other important point you make is how you have bonded through Sophie to her trainer. Dogs definitely encourage you to talk and meet new, and often very different people. You have both bonded with Sophie and vice versa, that is clear. You have also proved the power of dogs through your tweets for others. I will definitely read the paper from the BPS. My story may confirm what you are saying.
If anyone is interested I am not quite so mad as to go blindly into gave 2 labradors. My husband died 4 years ago, then our old Labrador 3 months later. I got Mildred because I couldn’t stand the empty house, she came into a house with grief. She was diagnosed with kidney dysplasia at 6 months and give 6 -12 months to live. So I got Humphrey both for her and me. He came along 1 month before lockdown in 2020. My daughter had a massive stroke in 2021, and died 2 months later. She helped me bring both puppies home so they are a link to her. Mildred then got a cancer in 2022, major op etc, but again took it all in her stride. Humphrey struggles with me being upset and is far less confident than Mildred. Mildred takes it in her stride and just gives me her paw or a cuddle. I adore both of them and gain so much from them, but I do worry about being a good owner, as you those worries are often at 4 am. But Mildred is still alive and just been given a really good health check.
Dog ownership is a wonderful but ,sometimes, a bit of a rollercoaster, weighing up I would say far, far, far more positives than negatives. As previously a cat owner of 55 yrs (from childhood 😁) interested in the bit about felines and human life expectancy