The Top 9 Scientific Reasons for Owning a Dog

For over 18,000 years, dogs have been companions to human beings. This makes sense because dogs are always happy to be around their human masters. They will protect them at any costs. That is why dogs are called man’s best friend.

According to scientists, dogs do a better job than cats when it comes to making people laugh. As for companionship, dogs keep people more active than their human partners do. The best part is that human depression will decrease as owners spend more time with their pets.

If you want to prove to someone that getting a dog can improve their own life, below are the top 9 scientific reasons for owning a dog. Use these reasons to convince them to get a dog.

1) Dogs Cause People to Laugh

The Society & Animals journal published a study which revealed that dog owners laugh more. Various pet owners of cats and dogs, as well as non-pet owners, were interviewed by researchers for this study. They were asked about how many times they laugh throughout their average day. The results indicated that people who own cats and dogs or only dogs laugh more than people who own cats or no pets at all.

2) Dogs Give You Their Loyalty

Dogs have been domesticated for up to 30,000 years. This was around the time that wolves evolved into dogs. If you look at modern wolves, they survive in packs and each wolf of the pack is loyal to the others. This is where dogs inherited their loyalty trait.

When a pet owner takes their dog home, the animal looks at their master as part of their pack. That is how dogs are able to develop close connections with their masters. They view them as just members of their pack.

3) Dogs Make Socializing Easier

British scientists conducted a study which revealed that people with dogs had a better chance of meeting other dog owners and their dogs versus people without any dogs. Perhaps this is because dog owners take more walks in their neighborhood which gives them a chance to meet other dog owners.

In America, the number one house pet is a dog. It is easier to start up a conversation about dogs because you can talk about their hair, shedding, farts, noises, and more.

4) Dogs Help People Stay Healthy

When our health is not so great, dogs can help us out. For instance, when a newborn child is raised in a home with a dog, they are less likely to have allergies or asthma. The reason for this has to do with dust.

According to a National Academy of Sciences study that was published, the guts of young children are likely developing microbes when they live in households that have dust and dogs that go outside and inside. These microbes prevent allergens from forming.

5) Dogs Encourage Activity

Regular exercise is the only way to combat obesity. So many people are obese these days because of inactivity. According to a report from Michigan State University, 60% of people who regularly take their dogs on walks every day are satisfying the federal recommendations for the amount of exercise you should get each day.

Senior citizens who walk their dogs are in better shape and get more exercise than senior citizens who merely walk with another person or by themselves.

6) Dogs Can Be Life Savers

Dogs can save the lives of cats and humans. For instance, if a cat needs a blood transfusion, they could actually receive the blood of a dog if their blood type is universal. If you don’t have any cat's blood to use for the transfusion, have a veterinarian test your dog's blood to see if it can be used.

Specially trained dogs can warn humans if they're about to have a seizure. They can be trained to bark within 15 minutes before a seizure occurs. This will allow the person to take precautions before the seizure so that they don't fall down or injure themselves.

7) Dogs Make Us Feel Special

Dogs provide meaningful companionship, especially to older people. According to a Journal of Social Psychology study, senior citizen dog owners reportedly felt happier with their emotional, social and physical well-being than senior citizen non-dog owners.

8) Dogs Will Boost Your Confidence

According to one study, people who owned a dog for 10 months reportedly had more confidence, higher self-esteem, and better exercise routines than people without dogs. The dog owners were also not afraid of crime happening on their property.

9) Dogs Increase People's Happiness

When you look into the loving eyes of a dog, they will make you happy. This is due to a special chemical that is released inside a person called oxytocin. According to a study, dog owners who regularly make eye contact with their dog had higher levels of oxytocin versus dog owners that did not make regular eye contact.

In another study, dog owners reportedly felt less lonely and depressed by getting social fulfillment from their dogs. They had less stress and felt a lot happier.

Be Responsible with Your Pet

Make sure you are ready to take on the responsibility of pet ownership. If you’re unsure about this, try to foster a dog for a couple of weeks and see if you have the time and energy to do this.