Benefits of dog ownership: Comparative study of equivalent samples

Felicidad subjetiva después de vivir un evento traumático en personas con y sin animales de compañía

“…The results showed that people who had companion animals at the time of a traumatic event considered themselves happier than those who did not. This result is interesting, because in previous researches that compared people who had or did not have companion animals, no difference was found in their happiness scores (Bao & Schreer, 2016;González-Ramírez & Landero-Hernández, 2014). No significant correlation was found between subjective happiness and participants' perceptions of the support they received from their dog or cat when facing stressful situations, but there was a significant correlation with their perceived relationship with their companion animals.…”

Pet Ownership and Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population: Rewards and Challenges

“…Pets motivate people to engage in an active and healthy lifestyle (Knight & Edwards, 2008) and enhance physical and cognitive functioning (Friedmann, Thomas, Son, Chapa, & McCune, 2013). Studies have found relationships between pet ownership and increased physical activity and mobility maintenance in older adults (Curl, Bibbo, & Johnson, 2017;Dall et al, 2017;González Ramírez & Landero Hernández, 2014;Thorpe et al, 2006). This may also have implications for enhancing cognitive functioning since physical activities that maintain cardiovascular fitness increase cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain, increasing neuron formation and maintaining brain volume (Carvalho, Rea, Parimon, & Cusack, 2014;Etnier, Nowell, Landers, & Sibley, 2006).…”

Older Adults� Perspective

“…However, studies indicate how owning dogs, in general, can have positive effects on an individual's level of stress, depression, self-esteem, and independence. For instance, in a quantitative study that explored the benefits of dog ownership, Ramírez and Hernández (2014) researched how owning a dog may reduce cardiovascular, behavioral, and psychological indicators of stress and anxiety. Results from 602 men and women dog owners exhibited lower than expected stress levels than non-dog owners as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (Ramírez & Hernández, 2014).…”

“…Stress levels can contribute to the concept of self-perceived health, or how one views his or her physical and mental health status. Ramírez and Hernández (2014) further explored selfperceived health between dog owners and non-dog owners. Results of the study revealed higher self-perceived health in dog owners than in non-dog owners as self-reported on the Short Form Health Survey, which assessed physical and social functioning, physical role, emotional role, mental health, vitality, bodily pain, and general health (Ramírez & Hernández, 2014).…”