Do Dog Owners Live Longer?

By Amy Fernandez

We all have those days when the dogs are driving us crazy. Endless dog chores, unfathomable dog emergencies, staggering vet bills, normal dog bills… Okay, this is too depressing to continue, but you get the point. The next time you have one of those days, just keep this in mind.

A recently published report might help to offset the despair and exhaustion of those days. Researchers at the University of Toronto have been examining possible links between dog ownership and health.  They aggregated data from ten different long-term studies of patients with coronary heart disease, and this remains the leading cause of death in this country. This data tracked the overall health, disease progression, and mortality rates of more than three million individuals over a ten-year period.

Across all age groups, the dog owners showed a 31 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 24 percent lower risk of death from all causes. The results were especially significant for those with documented major cardiac disease. In that group, the link to dog ownership revealed a 65 percent lower mortality rate.

The lead author of this study, Dr. Caroline K. Kramer, an endocrinologist, emphasized that correlation does not prove causation. Still, the results are quite suggestive when it is added to the many documented mental and physical health benefits of dog ownership. Plenty of studies have already shown that dog owners get more exercise, which in turn helps regulate blood sugar and lower the risk of some issues such as osteoporosis and Type 2 diabetes. And although it doesn’t always feel that way, dog ownership lowers cortisol levels associated with stress.

Okay, so that one dog just took a deep dive into tonight’s magnificent dessert, and that other dog peed on a house guest. And let’s not mention the alleged crimes of the third one. Just take a breath and remember it’s all good in the long run.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=353664

Posted by Liz on Apr 1 2026. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.