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Owning a dog can help you live longer, study reveals

Jack Russell Terrier in harness walking on loose leash
The study found owners experienced a 24 per cent reduced risk of all-cause mortality. (Getty)

Owning a dog may be the key to living a happier and longer life, a new study has claimed.

Man’s best friend has long been praised for the ability to help mental wellbeing, reducing anxiety and loneliness, but less has been reported about how dogs might have a positive effect on physical health.

A study by the American Heart Association, which collected data from 3.8 million people across the globe, found owning a dog can lead to better cardiovascular outcomes, especially for heart attack and stroke survivors who live alone.

Scientists say that compared to those without a pet dog, owners experienced a 24 per cent reduced risk of all-cause mortality and are 65 per cent less likely to die after a heart attack.

Close up of a Border Collie being held and looking direct into the camera. A loving expression on the dogs face.
Dog-ownership has long been associated with better mental health. (Getty)

Those who had suffered cardiovascular-related issues were also 31 per cent less likely to pass away.

The results support a separate study carried out by Sweden’s Uppsala University, which showed a 33 per cent reduced risk of death for heart attack patients living alone after being released from hospital if they owned a dog.

A similar drop was seen among stroke patients once they were discharged, at 27 per cent lower than those without a dog.

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“These two studies provide good, quality data indicating dog ownership is associated with reduced cardiac and all-cause mortality,” said Glenn N Levine, from the American Heart Association.

“While these non-randomised studies cannot ‘prove’ that adopting or owning a dog directly leads to reduced mortality, these robust findings are certainly at least suggestive of this.”

Professor Tove Fall, from Uppsala University, said keeping a dog can also help because it is a good motivation for physical activity, but warned that further research is needed.

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“The results of this study suggest positive effects of dog ownership for patients who have experienced a heart attack or stroke,” she said.

“However, more research is needed to confirm a causal relationship and giving recommendations about prescribing dogs for prevention.

“Moreover, from an animal welfare perspective, dogs should only be acquired by people who feel they have the capacity and knowledge to give the pet a good life.”