If the claims in this NPR article are true, I may live forever:
Dog owners often say the best thing about dogs is their unconditional love.
But new research suggests there’s another benefit, too. Dog owners walk more.
In a study published Monday in the journal BMC Public Health, dog owners on average walked 22 minutes more per day compared to people who didn’t own a dog.
And they weren’t just dawdling.
“Not only did we see an increase in exercise, but also the exercise was at a moderate pace,” explains study author Daniel Mills of the University of Lincoln, in the United Kingdom.
I walk my dogs three to five miles a day, 365 days a year, regardless of snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night.
Good for us and good for them. A tired dog is a happy dog.
These are working dogs. I couldn’t tire them out if I walked 24 hours a day.
I miss my dog very much, he died two years ago. Unfortunately we can’t have one living in our small space at the moment.
I have to agree about the walking part. If I recall, there are also some small studies looking at BP effects which are positive. Not sure if that was the walking effect or the relief of anxiety effect.
Steve