Medical Fact: Dog Owners are Healthier 

Dog owners have been shown to benefit in many ways from their pet’s presence in a number of different studies done by medical professionals. 

As well as the obvious exercise related ones that come from having a companion that loves walking and running, there are many others that aren't so obvious. These include physical, emotional and mental well-being factors. In no particular order, here are 10 of them. 

1. Fewer Visits to a Health Professional

Studies conducted at Cambridge and UCLA have found that owning a pet corresponds to overall improved health and less need for hospital visits.

A Medicare study of its elderly patients also discovered that those who own dogs visit the doctor less than those who don’t have a pet.

If you’re over 65 and own a pet, odds are you seek medical help about 30 percent less often than people who don’t have a pet.

A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology established that animal-owning seniors on Medicare “reported fewer doctor contacts over the 1-year period than respondents who did not own pets.” And while cats, birds, and other animals were helpful, “Owners of dogs, in particular, were insulated from the impact of stressful life events on physician utilization.” (Researcher-speak for "they didn't go the doctor without a good reason.")