Dogs and Longevity

  A Swedish research group report confirmed something that many of us innately knew: owning a dog can actually extend your life.
   The report from Uppsala University studied the health records of 3.4 million Swedes over a 12- year study. The results, as reported by Michelle Cortez recently in the Bloomberg News syndicate, focused on people from 40-80 years of age. It showed that dog owners were less likely to have heart disease, or die from any cause, than non-dog owners.
   Not surprisingly, the biggest difference was in people living alone. Among that group, dog owners were 11% less likely to develop heart disease and a whopping 33% less likely to die.
    I can see several reasons for this. First, a dog forces you into some type of movement in taking them out several times a day, plus any planned exercise (long walks, throwing them a ball at a park) you do with your pet. Also, it is clearly a family member, with all the companionship and love entailed. Dogs are an anti-depressant, and having something to care for can make a person more aware of their own health. A senior citizen is less likely to eat badly, skip their medicines, or neglect doctor's orders if they know they have this living, loving being to take care of. 
   Seniors with an ill spouse definitely benefit in having something else in their lives, and dogs are a great companion to both the care-giver and the one needing it. Think of the psychological benefit for an immobile person to have a dog nestled on their lap as they read or watch television!
    Laurie and I have had two dogs through our married life. The first, a strong-minded Yorkie named Pippin, lived until 17-plus years. In his youth, I did four- mile runs with him, and, later, regularly took him to a park where I would throw him a tennis ball for about a half-an-hour. He loved it, and it was sad and revealing seeing old age get the best of him. Really never sick a day in his life (other than a "nervous breakdown" on the day we moved), he had severe arthritis by the time we had to put him down, bad cataracts and very limited hearing. It was interesting to see how much this once hyper dog conserved his energy through each day in his final year or so, content to lay on the rug in a ray of sunshine through the window.
   Our second dog, Phoebe, was a playful and sweet Terrier mix. She knew my weekend routine, and as soon as I was done with my hour nap in the afternoon, she would tail me around until we went on our two-mile walk. Snowstorm, 10 degrees, it didn't matter. It had to be done. I'd have my head phones on, listening to a game, and it was as relaxing for me as it was energizing for her. While I didn't need it as a workout, per se, it still was fresh air and put the mind in a good place (all things that help with longevity!)
   Being a Terrier, Phoebe was an expert at catching mice. She was so good-natured, we felt she pawed at them to play more than anything else. Tragically, at age 12 and in perfect health, we believe she came in contact with a mouse that had been poisoned, and died within a day. I knew something was wrong when I took her out for her regular jaunt that we both loved, and she immediately pulled to go back inside. We brought her to the vet, and she never made it home.
   While there are sad endings, we know both our dogs added an immense amount to our lives, and to our children's as well. They had something to both care for and love, and it was unconditional. Young, old, or in-between, no doubt, a dog adds to the quality, and the length, of your life!