This article will be no surprise to dog owners-in a study published by the journal BMC Public Health, “dog owners on average walked 22 minutes more per day compared to people who didn’t own a dog”. That extra 22 minutes a day puts you into the Surgeon General of the United States recommendation of 150 minutes of walking a week for fitness and to alleviate a host of diseases and depression. A similar study published by the CDC found that dog owners also walked more.
Researchers found that not only was there an “increase in exercise, but also the exercise was at a moderate pace”. Walking was at 3 miles an hour or 4.8 kilometers per hour, a kilometer faster than the average.
“Prior studies have shown that moderate-intensity walking is just as effective as running in lowering the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and other conditions. And the more people walk, the more the health benefits increase, according to the American Heart Association.”
The study used fitness devices that measured speed, distance. Researchers were surprised at the additional activity of dog owners.”As dog owners know, when your hound leaps up onto your bed in the morning, you have little choice but to get up and go”. Researchers note that pet ownership is also linked to longevity and lower rates of depression and stress, suggesting one more reason to add a dog to your household.
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Reblogged this on Sandy James Planner.
Just go for a walk then!
Now I have to put up with pressure from dog owners to allow yelping little Fifi or big slobbery Bruno onto patios, and into shops to satisfy the need of some people to dominate other living creatures. Our park spaces are disappearing into no-go zones for those who’d prefer not to be chased and sniffed or step on half-scraped poop.
These animals were all once magnificent wolves. Humans turned them into a comical (not funny) smorgasbord of yapping pets for the sole enjoyment of their owners.
The dog has no choice in the relationship. It shouldn’t be used as an excuse for your exercise or as an excuse to talk to strangers. Dogs don’t belong in cities.
Go for a walk.
Talk to strangers.
Some of what you say is valid, but your delivery sucks. Mass generalizations don’t help your argument either. There are plenty of things in society I don’t get or agree with, but I don’t mass-stereotype those things and dismiss out of hand.
I know a lovely family with three kids that had a house (mortgage) in White Rock. A few years ago, just before the massive run-up in real estate prices, they were unable to maintain payments and were forced to sell. They missed a bump of half a million. But they always had a big dog. Owning a dog is expensive – figure at least $15K over the life of the animal for food, toys, vets. A big eater, or one with health problems, will cost $20K and up. The $20K that these good folks spent could have helped them carry the mortgage long enough to make that half a mil.
-deleted as per editorial policy-
The article was written by a veterinarian.
There are other ways to get exercise like swimming, cycling, yoga, gardening.
There are other ways to improve chances at longevity – like volunteering.
There is a bias in the article to owning a dog. There are downsides.
Articles like this don’t fall from the sky. Somebody funded this “study”. “Researchers” were paid. Instinct suggests there are full page ads in the magazine from the pet industry. The big money, aside from vet bills, is those hideous bags of dog food. That’s a multi-billion dollar industry.
the argument that you can also do those other things doesn’t negate this thing. I could easily say there’s a bias towards cycling by many here when walking or skateboarding can deliver similar results. But I don’t, cause that’s silly. Me preferring walking doesn’t negate the benefits of cycling or skateboarding or whatever the hell else.
If dog walking is what gets you out and moving, who are you to tell that person they’re wrong?
Ask the dog.
If you were given the choice to be a free human or a mangled distortion of one so you could be the pampered pet of some “superior” race, what would you choose?
There’s compelling evidence to show dogs are actually masters at evolutionary adaptation and because of that are now as prevalent as they are in all corners of the earth including being served cooked meals and sleeping in people’s beds. Perhaps you should give them more credit.
Regardless, your point is several tens of thousands of years too late, if not longer. Dogs are domesticated animals despite your angst.
Perhaps you could respond to my point though?
I can think of no other accessory less suited for urban multifamily living. Except maybe hardwood floors.