Owning a dog is beneficial for people’s health

In general, the advantages of owning a pet span from the emotional benefits, with over 75% of owners perceiving their pet as more than a friend, to factors strictly related to human health. Carry on reading the post to find out all the information!

A great deal has been written about the special relationship between pets and their owners. However, the latest scientific studies carried out by the Affinity Foundation group Animales y Salud (Animals and Health) have unearthed some enlightening data about the multiple benefits of owning a dog.

Here are some of the most interesting figures:

• 46% of Spanish households have a pet, of which 54% are dogs and 36% are cats.
• 50% of the population say they would like to have a pet.
• 74% of people who have a pet say they are happier.

In general, the advantages of owning a pet span from the emotional benefits, with over 75% of owners perceiving their pet as more than a friend, to factors strictly related to human health. According to the data below, pet owners visit the doctor less often and have lower cholesterol levels.

Another interesting finding was that women are more sensitive towards pets than men, and when they become mothers, they are very effective at passing this empathy on to their children.

This may be one of the reasons why, according to the study, younger generations have more affection for pets. This is something that does not happen with the elderly, as the same analysis shows that older people do not have such a close relationship with pets.

Although there is increasing evidence that pets give much more than they take, a lot of people, for various reasons, are still reluctant to share their lives with a dog.

The main reasons why people don’t have pets are:

• 21.4% say they don’t have enough room
• 15.6% say they don’t have enough time

In the case of cats, respondents gave the same reasons and at very similar percentages:

• 19.2% say they don’t have enough room
• 15.0% say they don’t have enough time

In both cases, economic considerations were not a leading reason for refraining from pet ownership.

Generally speaking, we can say that the Spanish public is very much in favour of pets. The percentage of acceptance is very similar in all the autonomous communities, with figures for the Canary Islands being somewhat higher.

In fact, if our emotional and physical health depended solely and exclusively on our relationship with our pets, Spain would be one of the healthiest countries in the world.