Human beings have had pets as companions since the evolution of our species. Companion animals have been used for thousands of years for specific purposes, such as hunting or herding.  But it also seems obvious that people seem to enjoy the companionship and loving comfort they provide.

In 2001, three Japanese scientists conducted a study to analyze the effects of the companionship of pets on the ability of a group of older people to live full lives (using a scoring system called Instrumental Activity of Daily Living, or IADL), and on their general health.

How the study was carried out

The scientists randomly selected 400 people living at home aged 65 and older in the small village of Satomi in Japan. These people were asked to fill out a questionnaire to determine if they could carry out the seven activities that comprise the IADL and if they had a pet. If someone couldn’t carry out all of these daily activities, he or she was classified as having an IADL disability.

Using these data and a statistical procedure called logistic regression analysis, the scientists examined the relationship between having or not having a pet, and having a disability compared with general well-being.

The results
85% of those receiving the questionnaire responded.
36% of these people never had a pet.
37% had a pet at the time of the questionnaire.
Presumably, 27% had a pet in the past, but not at the time of the questionnaire.

The people who had dogs had 47% less IADL disabilities (a 0.53 odds ratio) than those who never had a pet.
Those people who considered that their pets were their “best friend” had 52% less disabilities (0.48 odds ratio) than those who never had a pet.

The odds ratios tended to decrease in direct proportion to length of time the person had a pet.

In other words, dogs significantly helped older people to lead healthy lives and the longer a person had a pet, the better.

Continued in Can owning a pet improve your health? Part 2