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HOW DOGS ARE HELPING PEOPLE WITH LONELINESS:
HAVING a pet dog decreases loneliness, improves your mood and increases physical activity, Sydney University researchers have found.
Researchers from the university’s Charles Perkins Centre and RSPCA NSW found new dog owners reported lower levels of loneliness within three months of getting a dog, as well as a reduction in negative moods.
Results were based on a new trial which followed 71 Sydneysiders over an eightmonth period, comparing the mental wellbeing of new dog owners with those who had no intention of getting a dog.
In a YouGov Galaxy Poll conducted for Dogs of Oz, 78 per cent of participants said dogs offered emotional support, while 71 per cent agreed a dog could help you de-stress.
“We have found that dog ownership can improve feelings of loneliness and can help people increase their physical activity,” Emmanuel Stamatakis, senior research fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre, told the Cairns Post.
“Assuming that (it) is done properly and for the right reasons, the coexistence of dogs and humans can be hugely beneficial for both species.
“Physical activity and dog walking are great examples – dogs can help us humans combat the pandemic of physical inactivity while we serve some of their greatest needs – sensory enrichment through exploring the neighbourhood or local parks and canine physical activity.”
He said more Australians lived in cities and were living longer but had fewer interactions with other humans.
Willoughby mother-of-four Felicity Hughes said their family’s seven-month-old cavoodle, Arlo, had drastically changed their lives – for the better.
“Arlo is active and playful and also loves to lay down and cuddle,” Ms Hughes said.