The British are known as a nation of animal lovers, and almost one in two households owns a pet. Experts share the remarkable health benefits of pet ownership, concluding that the relationship benefits are definitely reciprocal, writes Rebecca Seales

THE sun has appeared and, suddenly, taking the dog out doesn’t seem like such a chore.

But while we all know that pets can be great a motivating force for keeping fit – with the average dog owner exercising their pet for 48 minutes per day – dogs, and other pets, can also boost an owner’s health and wellbeing in other ways.

Dr Anne Mcbride, a psychologist who researches the bond between humans and animals, believes there are huge physical and psychological benefits to sharing your life with a pet.

“Once you’ve found the right pet for you and your lifestyle, you get so much back from them. Mentally, there’s the benefit of companionship and the pleasure of having an animal to play with or confide in. This, in turn, can produce positive physical effects like lower blood pressure and improved respiration.

“Pets also make us laugh, which is great because laughter reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and releases serotonin, which makes us feel happy.”

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT PETS CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE

A three-year study conducted by Australia’s Baker Medical Research Institute confirmed that pet owners have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels than people without pets.

Considering that more than 70,000 people in England die each year from heart disease, a condition exacerbated by stress-related spikes in blood pressure, having a pet certainly seems like a healthy idea.

It has been shown that pets can also help relieve everyday stresses which can, in some circumstances, lead to more profound health problems such as insomnia and depression.

In 1999, the State University of New York in Buffalo conducted a study of 48 stockbrokers with high blood pressure.

All were taking medication for their condition, and half were given a pet to live with as well. When subjected to challenges designed to increase their stress – such as arguing their way out of a shop-lifting charge – the stockbrokers with pets experienced a smaller rise in blood pressure than their pet-less counterparts.

LEARN TO RELAX – WITH A FISH

Have you ever wondered why fish are so often a feature of dentists’ waiting rooms?

In 1985, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis revealed that fish are at least as successful as hypnosis for the purposes of calming dental patients. Those patients who had watched fish in the waiting room even required less pain medication during surgery.

Children with hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s patients both exhibit calmer behaviour when free to gaze at brightly coloured fish.

Clinical psychologist Jane Fossey, of the Alzheimer’s Society and Society for Companion Animal Studies, says there is evidence that watching fish can improve the nutritional intake of people with Alzheimer’s by about 21%.

“Sometimes, people can lose weight because of Alzheimer’s as it can mean they move around a lot or forget whether they have eaten. Watching the fish makes people more restful and therefore more likely to sit down and take time to eat.

“If patients are able to look after the fish themselves, this provides further advantages because it gives them the chance to care for something rather than always being the care recipients.”

Tasks such as feeding fish also allow family and staff to engage with dementia sufferers in the here-and-now rather than challenging them to remember the past, she adds.

DUMB ANIMALS CAN MAKE CHILDREN SMARTER AND HEALTHIER

It’s a well known fact that most children love pets. Researchers at Warwick University found that four and five-year-olds with animals at home take 18% fewer sick days off school.

Jo-Ann Fowler, director of the Society for Companion Animal Studies, notes: “There is research to show that children who are exposed to pets within the first year of their life have a lower incidence of hay fever and asthma and are less likely to develop allergies to animals.”

There are also emotional benefits, Fowler says.

“The companionship that pets provide can have a calming influence on children during stressful periods in their lives. For example, there is evidence that children cope better with divorce when they have a pet.”

Tracy Genever, children’s education officer at pet charity The Blue Cross, says that having a pet from a young age can help children to learn to care for another being and give them a sense of responsibility.

“We know from The Blue Cross education talks we give in schools that children often form very strong bonds with their pets,” she says.

“They can learn a lot by empathising and being sensitive to their pet’s emotions, and this can improve their social skills and help them build relationships with people.”

YOU’RE NEVER LONELY WITH A PET

Dr Mcbride believes that pets can also do a lot to reduce loneliness.

“A pet can be a great companion, and age or disability should be no barrier to pet ownership. It may be that you need to consider your choice of pet carefully, but owning a new breed or species can be viewed as an adventure, an opportunity to learn about a new type of animal and develop a relationship with a creature never before considered.”

According to statistics from The Pet Care Trust, pensioners who own their own pets make 21% fewer visits to the doctor than those without pets.

But it’s not always necessary to own your own animal to make a health gain. The charity, Pets as Therapy (PAT), organises therapeutic visits, taking calm, friendly dogs and cats to hospitals, hospices and care homes. Its latest initiative is being pioneered at HM Prison Hindley, a young offenders’ institute, where it is hoped that the presence of a dog will relax the teenage inmates.

A recent study by the charity set out to measure the effects of a PAT visit on a person’s mood, to better measure the benefits of the 130,000 visits to people, every week, across the country.

PAT surveyed participating residents in nursing homes or day centres, aged between 62 and 95. Each respondent was asked to fill in a questionnaire profiling their moods, and the results showed that individuals who spent just 10 minutes with their visiting dog experienced significant reductions in anxiety, depression and confusion, among other benefits.