Life Savers!

"Dog ownership was associated with a 24 percent risk reduction for all-cause mortality as compared to non-ownership."
"Dog ownership is associated with lower risk of death over the long term, which is possibly driven by a reduction in cardiovascular mortality."
Study authors published in Circulation, journal of the American Heart Association

"Dogs offer companionship, reduce anxiety and loneliness, increase self-esteem, and improve overall mood."
"Several studies have shown that acquiring a dog perforce increases physical exercise [as anyone who has unsuccessfully tried to sleep past the time of a dog's routine morning walk can attest]."
"Pet owners tend to be younger, wealthier, better educated, and more likely to be married, all of which improve cardiovascular outcomes."
"The association  between dog ownership and improved survival is real, and is likely at least partially causal."
The most salient benefits of dog ownership on cardiovascular outcomes are likely mediated through large and sustained improvements in mental health, including lower rates of depression, decreased loneliness, and increased self-esteem."
Dr.Dhruv Kazi, cardiologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston

A new study undertook to review several decades of evidence on the interdependent relations between dog ownership and mortality. The study focused on dogs as personal companion pets and made no effort to examine any potential longevity and health benefits accruing to cat ownership \. However, that connection was explored in at least one previously-published study, finding that like dog ownership, cat companions too are linked to a decrease in fatal cardiovascular events in their owners.

The study's authors were interested in reconciling differences in previously published literature based on the benefits of dog ownership. Of previous studies not all validated the understanding of companion dogs' beneficial effects on their human companions. Some of those studies indicated a benefit while there were others that came up empty. However, this new study linked to data that indicated among people who had already had cardiovascular issues such as a heart attack and stroke, even greater benefits resulted with dog ownership.

The study came with an accompanying editorial written by cardiologist Dhruv Kazi, who outlined a number of findings; for example well-documented mental health benefits accruing to dog companions adding quality to the lives of their owners. Those who own dogs tend to spend more time outdoors than people without dog companions. The very act of being outdoors, much less being physically active, as when taking a dog for a walk, or playing with it outdoors has beneficial health outcomes.

Even stroking a dog can have the effect of lowering an individual's blood pressure; communion of any kind between person and dog benefits both to the extent that physical and mental health are both impacted positively, the recognized pathway through which dog ownership creates a healthier dynamic allowing the person to live more healthily and with an increased life span. A failing in the research does exist in that randomized controlled trials of dog ownership benefiting mortality are few.

Direct studies have simply been overlooked, of the quality that would instruct a group of individuals to acquire a dog, while another group would be without the benefit of a dog present in their lives. Following which the individuals' health would be tracked over time. As the gold standard of evidence with such controlled randomized trials, should they present the solid evidence that is lacking, it would result in definitive assurances that owning a dog causes people to live longer lives.

Despite which, according to Dr. Kazi, the current balance of evidence is convincing enough. The study review controlled for a variety of socio-economic and demographic factors, finding the longevity effect of dog ownership to be assured. Several randomized, controlled studies on pet ownership generally indicated direct benefits of having a companion animal. One study saw a group of cardiac patients randomly instructed to acquire a dog or a cat; the end result being a reduced blood pressure response to stress.

Yet another saw researchers in Korea randomly assigning nursing home residents pet crickets with the direction that they care for the insects for an eight-week period. It was found that the cricket-caring group showed significant improvements on depression measurements and cognitive ability, relative to the control group