Steven Petrow
I’ve had four dogs since my mid-20s – three cocker spaniels and one Jack Russell terrier – and I’ve come to believe that canines are unmatched as companions, providing faithful, unconditional love. They’re even great listeners. (My current cocker, Binx, often “cocks” his head from side to side when I’m talking with him.) If there were no other reason to live with a dog than that, it would be enough.
But, as it turns out, there may be another reason. Dog owners appear to live longer than non-dog owners, according to quite a bit of research. In a 2019 meta-analysis of nearly 4 million people published in the journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes, researchers found that having a dog was linked to a 24 per cent lower risk of death from any cause during the study period compared with people who lived canine-free. The benefit seemed especially strong in those who had previous heart attacks or other coronary problems and seemed to be associated with a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease regardless of a person’s health history.
Of course this type of study can’t prove dogs help us live longer. People who choose to own a dog may be in better health, or have more disposable income, than people who do not – just two dog-related factors that might confer a cardiovascular and longevity benefit on their own.
So I know Binx makes my life worth living, but is he really good for my heart? Will he help me live longer? I had to find out.
The physical benefit of dog ownership
The theory is that the longevity benefits conferred by canines might be due to all the walking that a dog requires. Numerous research studies suggest that dog owners are more likely to achieve the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to intensive physical activity a week, or roughly 20 minutes a day, rain or shine. Binx insists on a walk at least that long (twice a day, not once). If you know young dogs, you know that it’s crucial to tire them out. When I fall short, he’s quick to attack pillows, and even the newspaper, which he can shred in three minutes flat. I get my 10,000 steps in every day without even trying.
“If you do reach those exercise guidelines, you will have lower blood pressure, you can lower your cholesterol, [and] you can lower your triglycerides,” all measures of heart health, explains Beth Frates, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation. No bones about it, just owning a dog doesn’t get you your daily steps – you have to walk the walk.
When I email Adrian Bauman, an emeritus professor of public health at the University of Sydney and the lead author of a 2020 commentary that looked at the 2019 meta-analysis and other research, he emphasised “that dog ownership is not yet evidence-based as being protective.” He also reminds me that dog ownership is not the same as dog walking. “A household may own a dog, but not all adults may walk the dog, so won’t get the cardiovascular and other protective benefits of the one or two people … that do walk the dog.” Of course that makes sense; when I was married, we walked our dog separately, which meant the four-legged one got all her steps and each of us two-legged ones got half.
Bauman also notes that he’s recently looked at the intensity of dog walking, telling me that much of it is “light activity because the dogs stop at every tree,” which is why he recommends walking a dog twice a day and making sure to “do some of that walking continuously”.
For those already diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, the benefits of dog ownership may be especially notable if you live on your own. In a 2019 study of more than 300,000 heart attack and stroke survivors in Sweden, those who lived alone had a reduced risk of death if they owned a dog when compared to those living alone without a dog. Survivors living with a partner or a child also had a reduction in risk – but the study suggests that if you live alone, you may be better off with a pup than without one. (There’s also good news for cat owners: a study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology reported a decreased risk for death due to heart attack and all cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, among people with cats.)
I was surprised to learn how much back and forth there is between researchers about whether there are longevity benefits to dog ownership. The 2019 meta-analysis has been criticised and defended repeatedly, although one consensus is that more studies need to be done to establish a causal association between dog ownership and survival. Still, Bauman believes owning a dog is likely beneficial for our health, even if it hasn’t been proven – yet.
How dog ownership combats loneliness
Frates, who has a five-year-old German Shepherd, told me that dogs also might provide a longevity benefit by boosting our social connections. “When people walk their dogs,” she explains, “they often engage with other people. A dog is an open invitation for conversation.” These connections can reduce loneliness and social isolation, which negatively impact mental health. In fact, a recent poll conducted by the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan, found that 70 per cent of current pet owners over 50 agreed with the statement that having pets “connects me with others”.
“Having positive social connections is an important protective factor against the risk of dying, even in old age,” Frates adds, pointing to data from a 2025 meta-analysis, which found that loneliness and social isolation are risk factors for mortality, particularly among older adults.
Bauman concurred, telling me “there are other benefits increasingly recognised to owning a dog” – his emphasis – “including social support and companionship especially for older and isolated folk and possible reducing or slowing cognitive decline.” In this light, dogs, he says, are “a likely health benefit, even if owned and not walked”.
I can attest to that as well. By being out and about I’ve met new friends of the two-legged variety, while Binx has a posse of dog pals, notably his “girlfriend” Ali, a Lab/retriever mix.
A sense of purpose
I got Binx not long after my divorce and discovered an unexpected benefit: he gave shape to my days, barking me awake in the morning (“Feed me now!“), even if I felt too depressed to get up. I wasn’t surprised to read the results from the Michigan survey, which found that more than eight in 10 pet owners over 50 said their dogs gave them a sense of purpose. Seven in 10 claimed they found greater joy in life because of them, and 63 per cent reported that having a pet helps reduce their stress.
Frates points mostly to anecdotal evidence when it comes to the connection between purpose and longevity, explaining, “A person with a dog usually feels a sense of duty and responsibility to care for the dog. This can help some people feel a sense of purpose in life. ‘Ikigai’ is a Japanese word meaning reason for being or reason for waking up. Dogs give their owners a reason for being.” She also highlights a 2022 survey of 1693 people called “Dogs and the Good Life,” whose authors note that people said dogs had “positive impacts on owner wellbeing and happiness through providing purpose, companionship and self-acceptance, pleasure and distraction, as well as lessening emotional pain and suffering and reducing risk behaviours.”
As for me, I can’t imagine life without my dog. I’m glad to know he’s improving my health and possibly reducing my risk of death – but I’d be glad to have him even if he didn’t.
The New York Times
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