6 ms·

People who have the means to own and care for a dog will probably have a better diet, less stress, more time to exercise and go to the doctor. I doubt dogs have

by qmmmur 7y ago

People who have the means to own and care for a dog will probably have a better diet, less stress, more time to exercise and go to the doctor. I doubt dogs have a magical health aura.

swebs 7y ago
I see hobos with dogs.
- tomalpha 7y ago
  This might have been your point, but it would indeed be interesting to know whether they have better or worse health outcomes than those without dogs.
  - kolp 7y ago
    One of the purposes of the dog is to discourage arrest for petty offences. The police officer has to take care of the dog if the crusty is arrested, so police are less inclined to arrest if the person can be moved on with a warning.
    - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
      >One of the purposes of the dog is to discourage arrest for petty offences Also works great for letting you trespass anywhere you could conceivably want to walk a dog that isn't obviously posted.
8fingerlouie 7y ago
Dogs require frequent walks if you don't plan on cleaning your floors/carpets daily. Could it just not be that people who own and _care_ for a dog get exercise daily, as opposed to just sitting in a couch binging netflix all day ? Recent studies have proved that walking is a great source of exercise, and depending on dog size you get 2-10km walks per day (1-6 freedom units)
- bigred100 7y ago
  Oh is freedom unit a mile? That’s funny.
jlg23 7y ago
They have. Having to walk them turns every couch potato into someone who is spending, depending on size & agility of the dog, 30min to 2h outdoors , walking. Every single day. They also tend to pester you for food or walks roughly at the same times every day, so, no matter how irregular your lifestyle was, there suddenly is a wireless alarm clock all day. Every single day. (Kids are much better at this, though). In the EU and US at least, you can get this all for free: Sign up as a volunteer at the next animal shelter, commit to walking one of their dogs twice a day, 7 days a week :)
- foo_in_bar 7y ago
  It's so true. Without dog I'd probably spend most of my free time sitting on the couch playing games/ watching TV. But now I'm "forced" to go for at least one long walk, no matter the weather :). Additionally coming home and having someone who's happy to see you helps forget about all the work-induced stress.
- Angostura 7y ago
  So the question the, becomes - if you own a dog, but someone else in the family walks/feeds it - are there any health benefits? If not, you have a study showing that 'Dog ownership promotes regular healthy walking'.
  - Spooky23 7y ago
    I think that commenters are assuming that dog walking is the benefit. That’s a factor, but a few studies have shown association with a dog in a household (not ownership) has positive effect. Companionship is a key factor with dogs and a key deficiency in many people. The human-dog relationship is unique because we snap into the dogs innate pack structure. Dogs want to take care of us, and that brings joy. I’ve seen it with elderly folks and my own son. Our family dog made herself my son’s training wheels when he was learning to walk.
- qmmmur 7y ago
  This is true, but your experience isn't mutually exclusive with my statement. People who are destitute often don't have the resources to keep a healthy dog. You are, as I imagine (and please correct me if I am wrong) well off and can afford to spend 30min - 2 hours a day walking your dog.
ohduran 7y ago
Disagree. I would spend all my afternoons indoors unless I had a dog. Having to walk it no less than half an hour a day means I'm forced to do some sort of exercise that I wouldn't do otherwise.
- qmmmur 7y ago
  Yes okay, but the magic bullet here isn't the dog its the means to have an animal who gets you out of the house and walking.
  - ohduran 7y ago
    Good point! So, in reality, it isn't the dog, it's what you do when you're a dog owner. I think that's why they phrased the paper with "dog ownership", implying that the main condition for improved health isn't the dog itself, but your routines as owner of one.
NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Just like parents with children, plenty would prioritise feeding the dog well over themselves. I'd do it myself. When I was a student, I have a few times. A healthy happy dog is a huge influence on my sanity, stress. The weather may be horrible out, but the dog will still love it if it's blowing a gale, freezing or tipping down. Without the dog I'd skip those trips. The payback was huge, and magical. With PAT (pets as therapy) dogs there have been other studies, that show even temporary access to a dog for an hour in a hospital ward shows benefits. Like lowering heart rate just by patting or stroking it.
collyw 7y ago
Homeless people I see (or people that appear to be that way) always seem to have the nicest looking dogs here in Europe.
- Timpy 7y ago
  Do the owners tend to look healthier for their demographic? I bet keeping a high morale probably contributes to better health outcomes as well, and dogs can be good for high morale.
  - collyw 7y ago
    It never really occurred to me to compare them before. Not necessarily from memory.
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Probably because people are more inclined to give something to the dog of a homeless person vs the homeless person. I am certainly that way. So you have a dog that’s well fed and spends the whole day running around outside. Pretty good life for a dog.
  - collyw 7y ago
    Maybe, but dogs can also be incredibly loyal. They will stick by you when no one else will.
  - mikelyons 7y ago
    Dogs offer intuition, protection, and companionship where humans will not, for homeless.
roel_v 7y ago
Dog ownership (I should say, pet ownership) is disproportionately something for poor(er) people. 25% of all household here (.nl) have pets, but out of poor households, 60% do.
asdkhadsj 7y ago
As an aside, emotional well being I believe (though I don't have any papers) is linked to improved health. Dog owners, unsurprisingly enjoy dogs. So to a degree, the dogs do have a magic aura. I don't own one currently but I absolutely adore them. I imagine my stress levels drop significantly every time I'm admiring one at the park. While it is of course not "magic", I think you're over simplifying the impact of positive factors in peoples lives.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

by qmmmur 7y ago

People who have the means to own and care for a dog will probably have a better diet, less stress, more time to exercise and go to the doctor. I doubt dogs have a magical health aura.

swebs 7y ago

I see hobos with dogs.

tomalpha 7y ago
This might have been your point, but it would indeed be interesting to know whether they have better or worse health outcomes than those without dogs.
- kolp 7y ago
  One of the purposes of the dog is to discourage arrest for petty offences. The police officer has to take care of the dog if the crusty is arrested, so police are less inclined to arrest if the person can be moved on with a warning.
  - dsfyu404ed 7y ago
    >One of the purposes of the dog is to discourage arrest for petty offences Also works great for letting you trespass anywhere you could conceivably want to walk a dog that isn't obviously posted.

8fingerlouie 7y ago

Dogs require frequent walks if you don't plan on cleaning your floors/carpets daily. Could it just not be that people who own and _care_ for a dog get exercise daily, as opposed to just sitting in a couch binging netflix all day ? Recent studies have proved that walking is a great source of exercise, and depending on dog size you get 2-10km walks per day (1-6 freedom units)

bigred100 7y ago
Oh is freedom unit a mile? That’s funny.

jlg23 7y ago

They have. Having to walk them turns every couch potato into someone who is spending, depending on size & agility of the dog, 30min to 2h outdoors , walking. Every single day. They also tend to pester you for food or walks roughly at the same times every day, so, no matter how irregular your lifestyle was, there suddenly is a wireless alarm clock all day. Every single day. (Kids are much better at this, though). In the EU and US at least, you can get this all for free: Sign up as a volunteer at the next animal shelter, commit to walking one of their dogs twice a day, 7 days a week :)

foo_in_bar 7y ago
It's so true. Without dog I'd probably spend most of my free time sitting on the couch playing games/ watching TV. But now I'm "forced" to go for at least one long walk, no matter the weather :). Additionally coming home and having someone who's happy to see you helps forget about all the work-induced stress.
Angostura 7y ago
So the question the, becomes - if you own a dog, but someone else in the family walks/feeds it - are there any health benefits? If not, you have a study showing that 'Dog ownership promotes regular healthy walking'.
- Spooky23 7y ago
  I think that commenters are assuming that dog walking is the benefit. That’s a factor, but a few studies have shown association with a dog in a household (not ownership) has positive effect. Companionship is a key factor with dogs and a key deficiency in many people. The human-dog relationship is unique because we snap into the dogs innate pack structure. Dogs want to take care of us, and that brings joy. I’ve seen it with elderly folks and my own son. Our family dog made herself my son’s training wheels when he was learning to walk.
qmmmur 7y ago
This is true, but your experience isn't mutually exclusive with my statement. People who are destitute often don't have the resources to keep a healthy dog. You are, as I imagine (and please correct me if I am wrong) well off and can afford to spend 30min - 2 hours a day walking your dog.

ohduran 7y ago

Disagree. I would spend all my afternoons indoors unless I had a dog. Having to walk it no less than half an hour a day means I'm forced to do some sort of exercise that I wouldn't do otherwise.

qmmmur 7y ago
Yes okay, but the magic bullet here isn't the dog its the means to have an animal who gets you out of the house and walking.
- ohduran 7y ago
  Good point! So, in reality, it isn't the dog, it's what you do when you're a dog owner. I think that's why they phrased the paper with "dog ownership", implying that the main condition for improved health isn't the dog itself, but your routines as owner of one.

NeedMoreTea 7y ago

Just like parents with children, plenty would prioritise feeding the dog well over themselves. I'd do it myself. When I was a student, I have a few times. A healthy happy dog is a huge influence on my sanity, stress. The weather may be horrible out, but the dog will still love it if it's blowing a gale, freezing or tipping down. Without the dog I'd skip those trips. The payback was huge, and magical. With PAT (pets as therapy) dogs there have been other studies, that show even temporary access to a dog for an hour in a hospital ward shows benefits. Like lowering heart rate just by patting or stroking it.

collyw 7y ago

Homeless people I see (or people that appear to be that way) always seem to have the nicest looking dogs here in Europe.

Timpy 7y ago
Do the owners tend to look healthier for their demographic? I bet keeping a high morale probably contributes to better health outcomes as well, and dogs can be good for high morale.
- collyw 7y ago
  It never really occurred to me to compare them before. Not necessarily from memory.
Ididntdothis 7y ago
Probably because people are more inclined to give something to the dog of a homeless person vs the homeless person. I am certainly that way. So you have a dog that’s well fed and spends the whole day running around outside. Pretty good life for a dog.
- collyw 7y ago
  Maybe, but dogs can also be incredibly loyal. They will stick by you when no one else will.
- mikelyons 7y ago
  Dogs offer intuition, protection, and companionship where humans will not, for homeless.

roel_v 7y ago

Dog ownership (I should say, pet ownership) is disproportionately something for poor(er) people. 25% of all household here (.nl) have pets, but out of poor households, 60% do.

asdkhadsj 7y ago

As an aside, emotional well being I believe (though I don't have any papers) is linked to improved health. Dog owners, unsurprisingly enjoy dogs. So to a degree, the dogs do have a magic aura. I don't own one currently but I absolutely adore them. I imagine my stress levels drop significantly every time I'm admiring one at the park. While it is of course not "magic", I think you're over simplifying the impact of positive factors in peoples lives.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]