There is a particular old woman who is found on our village common walking her dog whatever the weather. And it is unclear who benefits the most, dog or woman. Both get exercise for sure, but the woman also greets or chats to all passing her way. She even waves at familiar cars. It is as if walking her dog is the ideal way of getting what she most needs: company.
Indeed ‘increasing socialization’ and therefore combatting loneliness is listed by America's National Center for Infectious Diseases as one of the benefits of owning a pet. Other advantages listed are decreasing blood pressure, triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels, and increasing exercise. A few years ago the US Government's National Institute for Health reported that there are more American households with pets than children. Putting aside the issues of health problems in pet owners who practice poor hygiene, scientists are now asking what are the benefits of this strong bond between humans and domesticated animals.
The therapeutic value of animals has been acknowledged for centuries. In 1792, for example, animals were used as a treatment for mental patients at the York Retreat in an attempt to reduce the use of drugs and restraint. And a 12 000 year old skeleton buried with its hand resting on a wolf pup was found in Israel, suggesting that a special relationship between humans and animals has existed for centuries.
Even a brief look at the internet shows that this tradition is going strong. Companion dogs are now acknowledged as beneficial for certain groups of wheelchair bound people. Quite apart from the depth and continuity of relationship that these dogs offer such disabled people, they also act as a social focus that helps people to approach the disabled person and overcome any initial awkwardness about making social contact. This can really enrich disabled people's everyday lives and educates the general public not to avoid casual social interaction with wheelchair bound people.
Much of the positive effects of pets on our wellbe-ing is ascribed to increased serotonin levels in pet owners leading to endorphin release, the hormones that promote a sense of happiness. This is likely the mechanism by which elderly pet owners are less likely to become depressed at times of stress and bereavement, and less likely to seek medical help for non-serious conditions, than those that do not own pets. There is not, however, any solid evidence to suggest that pets alter our general health status in more than the general effects of raised endorphin levels.
One of the most intensively researched areas is the impact of pets on patients with cardiovascular conditions. One NIH funded study on the survival of heart attack patients found that after 1 year, patients who were dog owners were significantly more likely to be alive than non dog owners.
But such studies raise the main problems confronting this area of scientific study that is still in its infancy. Cardiology patients have been chosen for study because the prognoses for cardiovascular patients are often associated with stress levels and other psychological factors generally known to be reduced by pet ownership. Is there any special effect of pet ownership or are pet owners a self-selecting group of individuals who are less prone to stress? Or perhaps people who can afford to keep pets can also afford good diets and healthier lifestyles? The challenge is there to design well-controlled studies that allow our understanding to progress beyond anecdotes and intuitions, which however charming remain just that.