Live Longer… Get a Dog
It's science.
Published in Scientific Reports in 2017, a Swedish research team found that dog owners have a reduced risk of death compared to non-owners.
Singles are the ones that benefit the most from being dog owners. There is a 33% decrease in mortality risk and an 11% reduction in the risk of heart attacks compared to non-dog owners.
While owning any breed of dog is beneficial, hunting dogs (retrievers, terriers, and scent hounds) had owners with the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease.
The study is not saying that just because you have a dog means that you are going to be a healthier person, it is just saying that dog owners are showing signs of a lower mortality rates that are linked to cardiovascular disease.
At the very least, if you are weighing back and forth on whether to get a dog or not, it's good to know that it's not only a life-improving decision, but a life-extending one as well.