Medical and academic institutions proffer statistics that support a notion of the dog owner as a more active and happier individual. A 2007 study by Queen's University Belfast compiled and analyzed global research data, confirming the science behind dog aficionados leading healthier lives. Published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, their analysis stressed regular walks were only part of the equation. Committee head Dr. Deborah Wells intimates social climate plays as important a role. "The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contacts, which may enhance both physiological and psychological human health in a more indirect manner," she said.

Studies in Germany, Australia, and China point to dog ownership as sound public policy. An examination of Chinese women (men were excluded) reported increased exercise, fewer doctor visits, and diminished use of sick days at work when a dog is present in the home. Australian and German dog owners were found to use free governmental health services less than the general populace. Pet owners in those countries made approximately 12 to 15 percent fewer annual doctor visits than their pet-less peers. German pet owners spent 32 percent fewer nights in a hospital. The benefits appeared particularly strong for elderly people, the population group with the worst constitutions and heaviest use of health services. The economic benefit was substantial, approximating savings in health expenditures of $5.59 billion for Germany and $3.86 billion for Australia annually.

As with everything in life, age can be a relevant or limiting factor to owning a dog. However, the positives of dog ownership seem to outweigh negligible and manageable negatives. Surveys targeted at pet owners 60 years and older showed less stress and loneliness, better nutrition, and a stronger focus on the present. Seniors walking a dog enjoy a boost in parasympathetic nervous system activity, the region of the brain that supports calm and rest in the body. Activities in the care-taking role of a dog give older individuals a sense of responsibility and purpose that contributes to their overall well-being. An often cited but small-scale study of 92 elderly people hospitalized for coronary ailments, showed that within a year 11 of the 29 patients without pets passed away, compared to only three of the 52 who owned a pet.

Dog-given benefits are not limited to the physical; their stimulus on a person's mental contentment is equally discernible. Psychologists at Miami University and St. Louis University found the emotional benefits pet owners receive from animal companions could be the equal of a human friendship. They factored variables such as depression, loneliness, illness, self-esteem, and activity levels, finding that participants with pets scored far better overall, enjoying measurably higher self-esteem and less loneliness. The researchers hastened to point out that study subjects were not stereotypical dog or cat loners. "We repeatedly observed evidence that people who enjoyed greater benefits from their pets also were closer to other important people in their lives," they wrote, "and received more support from them, not less."