Does owning a dog improve your health?
Dog owners tend to walk more and some large studies link dog ownership to lower death rates, but the evidence is observational and results are mixed.
Covers: This page covers research on dog ownership and health outcomes such as cardiovascular risk, physical activity, mental wellbeing, and mortality, including the limitations of observational studies. It does not cover the health effects of other pets or the mechanics of service-animal training.
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The short answer
Interpretation AI-prepared starting mapDog ownership is consistently linked to more walking and physical activity, and several large studies associate it with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but the evidence is observational: effects are small to moderate, results differ between studies, and the apparent health benefits may partly reflect who chooses to own a dog rather than the dog itself.1234
- Evidence 19
- Interpretation 5
In brief
Dog owners tend to walk and exercise more than non-owners, but the differences are small to moderate (d = 0.26 for walking, d = 0.16 for physical activity), and about 60% of owners actually walk their dog.1
Evidence-backedPet ownership is associated with lower social isolation in adults, and with lower loneliness mainly in studies conducted after COVID-19; most studies found no difference between dogs and other pets.5
Evidence-backedThe sense of obligation to walk the dog, the support and motivation the dog provides, and dog-supportive walking environments are the factors most strongly associated with increased dog walking.6
Evidence-backed
At a glance
The picture in numbers
Live · updated just now
60%
60 in every 100
- Walking0.3 effect size
- Physical activity0.2 effect size
- All-cause mortality24 % lower risk
- Cardiovascular death31 % lower risk
The evidence behind it
10 sources- Reviews of many studies6
- Other studies and data4
When it was published
Newest from 2026
| Source | Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Dog Ownership and Physical Activity: A Review of the Evidence | Reviews of many studies | 2013 |
| Dog Ownership and Survival | Other studies and data | 2019 |
| Dog ownership and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death – a nationwide cohort study | Other studies and data | 2017 |
| Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic review | Reviews of many studies | 2022 |
| A modest protective association between pet ownership and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis | Reviews of many studies | 2019 |
| How might we increase physical activity through dog walking?: A comprehensive review of dog walking correlates | Reviews of many studies | 2014 |
| Contact with dogs is associated with improved survival in cancer patients. | Other studies and data | 2026 |
| Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the effects of human-animal interactions on health and well-being of older adults: an umbrella review. | Reviews of many studies | 2026 |
| Pet ownership and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. | Reviews of many studies | 2025 |
| Investigating the Potential Protective Effect of Dog Ownership on Incident Disabling Dementia and Its Cost-Effectiveness. | Other studies and data | 2026 |
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What it means for you
Which fits you?
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each answer says what it rests on.
If you want to increase your daily walking
a dog can help, since owners walk more on average, but the effect is small to moderate and depends on actually walking the dog — only about 60% of owners do.1
Evidence-backedIf you live alone
the studies reporting the largest mortality and cardiovascular associations with dog ownership were in single-person households, though this remains observational.3
Evidence-backedIf you have had a coronary event or have established cardiovascular disease
dog ownership has been associated with lower mortality or cardiovascular risk in these groups, but the evidence is observational and not a substitute for treatment.24
Evidence-backedIf you are mainly hoping a dog will reduce loneliness
the evidence is mixed: pet ownership was linked to lower loneliness mainly in studies after COVID-19, and most studies found no difference between dogs and other pets.5
Evidence-backedIf you already own a dog but rarely walk it
the factors most associated with more walking are the sense of obligation to the dog, the dog's exercise needs, and access to dog-supportive walking areas, so those are the levers worth targeting.6
Evidence-backedThe full story · 4 chapters
01
Physical activity and walking
AI summary:Dog owners walk and exercise somewhat more than non-owners, and the owner-dog bond and dog-friendly walking areas seem to drive dog walking.
Evidence-backed: A review of the evidence found that about 60% of dog owners walked their dog, with a median of 160 minutes and 4 walks per week. Pooled analysis showed dog owners engaged in more walking and more physical activity than non-owners, with small to moderate effect sizes (d = 0.26 for walking and d = 0.16 for physical activity). Three studies provided evidence of a directional relationship between dog ownership and walking.1
Evidence-backed: A separate review of dog-walking correlates found good evidence that the strength of the dog-owner relationship — through a sense of obligation to walk the dog and the perceived support and motivation the dog provides — is strongly associated with increased walking. The perceived exercise requirements of the dog may be a modifiable point for intervention, and access to suitable walking areas with dog-supportive features such as off-leash exercise, which also encourage human social interaction, may be incentivising.6
Evidence-backed: The physical-activity review concludes that longitudinal and interventional studies would provide stronger causal evidence, and that better knowledge of factors associated with dog walking would guide intervention research.1
02
Mortality and cardiovascular outcomes
AI summary:Some large analyses link dog ownership to lower death and heart risk, but another meta-analysis finds no overall link after adjustment.
Evidence-backed: A meta-analysis of 10 studies covering 3,837,005 participants (530,515 events, mean follow-up 10.1 years) found dog ownership was associated with a 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with non-ownership (relative risk 0.76, 95% CI 0.67–0.86), with 6 studies showing a significant reduction in risk of death. Among people with prior coronary events, living in a home with a dog was associated with a larger reduction in all-cause mortality (relative risk 0.35, 95% CI 0.17–0.69). Restricting to cardiovascular mortality, dog ownership was associated with a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death (relative risk 0.69, 95% CI 0.67–0.71).2
Evidence-backed: A Swedish cohort of 34,202 twin-register participants found dog ownership (13.1% of participants) was associated with lower risk of death in single-person households (hazard ratio 0.67, 95% CI 0.65–0.69) and in multiple-person households (0.89, 0.87–0.91), and with lower cardiovascular death (0.64, 0.59–0.70 and 0.85, 0.81–0.90 respectively). In single-person households, dog ownership was also inversely associated with a composite cardiovascular outcome (0.92, 0.89–0.94). Ownership of hunting breed dogs was associated with the lowest cardiovascular risk.3
Evidence-backed: A different meta-analysis of 12 studies (488,986 participants, 52.3% female, mean age 56.1 years, mean follow-up 8.7 years) found pet ownership had no association with adjusted all-cause mortality (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.94–1.08), adjusted cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.75–1.00), cardiovascular disease risk (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.72–1.05), heart attack (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97–1.01) or stroke (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–1.01). Subgroup analysis did show lower adjusted cardiovascular mortality in the general population (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86–0.99) and lower cardiovascular disease risk in patients with established cardiovascular disease (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60–0.84).4
Interpretation: These studies disagree in their headline results: two analyses report lower mortality or cardiovascular risk with dog ownership, while a third finds no overall association once results are adjusted, with positive findings only in subgroups. The mortality meta-analysis itself notes that its analyses were not adjusted for confounders, and the Swedish authors report that further twin analyses could not replicate the reduced cardiovascular or death risk, though they found no clear indication of confounding by disability, comorbidities or lifestyle.234
04
What might explain the link
AI summary:The link may run through the obligation and motivation to walk the dog, but healthier people may simply be more likely to own dogs.
Evidence-backed: The dog-walking review points to the dog-owner relationship, a sense of obligation to walk the dog, and the perceived support and motivation a dog provides as strongly associated with increased walking, and suggests dog walking may be most effectively encouraged by targeting that relationship and providing dog-supportive physical environments.6
Evidence-backed: The mortality meta-analysis suggests the lower risk of death may be driven by a reduction in cardiovascular mortality, and the Swedish authors note that dog ownership appears associated with lower cardiovascular risk in single-person households and lower mortality in the general population.23
Interpretation: Because none of these designs can rule out that healthier or more active people are more likely to own dogs, the most defensible reading is that dog ownership is a marker of, and possibly a modest contributor to, better activity and health rather than a proven cause.124
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- 1Dog Ownership and Physical Activity: A Review of the EvidenceJournal of Physical Activity and Health (Christian et al.)Published Jul 1, 2013Checked Sep 30, 2026
“Most studies were conducted in the last 5 years, were cross-sectional, and sampled adults from Australia or the United States. Approximately 60% of DO walked their dog, with a median duration and frequency of 160 minutes/week and 4 walks/week, respectively. Meta-analysis showed DO engage in more walking and PA than NDO and the effect sizes are small to moderate (d = 0.26 and d = 0.16, respectively). Three studies provided evidence of a directional relationship between dog ownership and walking. Longitudinal and interventional studies would provide stronger causal evidence for the relationship between dog ownership and PA. Improved knowledge of factors associated with dog walking will guide intervention research.”
- 2Dog Ownership and SurvivalCirculation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (Kramer et al.)Published Oct 1, 2019Checked Sep 30, 2026
“Two independent reviewers extracted the data. We assessed pooled data using random-effects model. A possible limitation was that the analyses were not adjusted for confounders. Ten studies were included yielding data from 3 837 005 participants (530 515 events; mean follow-up 10.1 years). Dog ownership was associated with a 24% risk reduction for all-cause mortality as compared to nonownership (relative risk, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.67–0.86) with 6 studies demonstrating significant reduction in the risk of death. Notably, in individuals with prior coronary events, living in a home with a dog was associated with an even more pronounced risk reduction for all-cause mortality (relative risk, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17–0.69; I 2 , 0%). Moreover, when we restricted the analyses to studies evaluating cardiovascular mortality, dog ownership conferred a 31% risk reduction for cardiovascular death (relative risk, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.67–0.71; I 2 , 5.1%). Dog ownership is associated with lower risk of death over the long term, which is possibly driven by a reduction in cardiovascular mortality. Systematic Review Registration URL: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ . Unique identifier: CRD42018111048.”
- 3Dog ownership and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death – a nationwide cohort studyScientific Reports (Mubanga et al.)Published Nov 13, 2017Checked Sep 30, 2026
“Self-reported health and lifestyle habits were available for 34,202 participants in the Swedish Twin Register. Time-to-event analyses with time-updated covariates were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). In single- and multiple-person households, dog ownership (13.1%) was associated with lower risk of death, HR 0.67 (95% CI, 0.65-0.69) and 0.89 (0.87-0.91), respectively; and CVD death, HR 0.64 (0.59-0.70), and 0.85 (0.81-0.90), respectively. In single-person households, dog ownership was inversely associated with cardiovascular outcomes (HR composite CVD 0.92, 95% CI, 0.89-0.94). Ownership of hunting breed dogs was associated with lowest risk of CVD. Further analysis in the Twin Register could not replicate the reduced risk of CVD or death but also gave no indication of confounding by disability, comorbidities or lifestyle factors. In conclusion, dog ownership appears to be associated with lower risk of CVD in single-person households and lower mortality in the general population.”
- 4A modest protective association between pet ownership and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysisPLoS ONE (Yeh et al.)Published May 3, 2019Checked Sep 30, 2026
“We included 12 studies, involving 488,986 participants (52.3% female, mean age 56.1 years), in our systematic review. The mean follow-up duration was 8.7 ± 6.3 years. Pet ownership had no association with adjusted all-cause mortality (odds ratio, OR = 1.01, 95% confidence interval, CI [0.94, 1.08], I2 = 76%), adjusted CV mortality (OR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.75, 1.00], I2 = 72%), or risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (OR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.72, 1.05], I2 = 73%), myocardial infarction (MI) (OR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.97, 1.01], I2 = 0%), or stroke (OR = 0.99, 95% CI [0.98, 1.01], I2 = 0%). However, subgroup analysis showed that pet ownership was associated with a lower adjusted CV mortality in the general population (OR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.86, 0.99], I2 = 27%) than in CVD patients. In patients with established CVD, pet ownership was associated with a lower adjusted CVD risk (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.60, 0.84], I2 = 0%). Pet ownership is not associated with adjusted all-cause or CV mortality, or risk of CVD, MI, or stroke, but it is associated with a lower adjusted CV mortality in the general population and a lower CVD risk in patients with established CVD.”
- 5Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic reviewSocial Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (Kretzler et al.)Published Jul 11, 2022Checked Sep 30, 2026
“Two reviewers independently executed study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. RESULTS: n = 24 studies were included. Among adult samples, the studies examining the relationship between pet ownership and social isolation found that owning a pet was associated with lower levels of social isolation. Concerning loneliness, studies that were conducted after the outbreak of COVID-19 mostly showed that pet ownership can contribute to lower levels of loneliness, but did not reveal an overall significant association until then. In turn, the studies that examined child and adolescent samples suggest that pet ownership was related to reduced loneliness before COVID-19. Furthermore, most of the studies did not reveal any differences between dogs, cats, and other kinds of pets regarding their relationship to loneliness and social isolation. All in all, only a part of the studies detected a significant association between pet ownership, loneliness and social isolation. However, the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to strengthen this relationship, so that future research is required to assess the longevity of this potential effect.”
- 6How might we increase physical activity through dog walking?: A comprehensive review of dog walking correlatesInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Westgarth et al.)Published Aug 20, 2014Checked Sep 30, 2026
“There is good evidence that the strength of the dog-owner relationship, through a sense of obligation to walk the dog, and the perceived support and motivation a dog provides for walking, is strongly associated with increased walking. The perceived exercise requirements of the dog may also be a modifiable point for intervention. In addition, access to suitable walking areas with dog supportive features that fulfil dog needs such as off-leash exercise, and that also encourage human social interaction, may be incentivising. Current evidence suggests that dog walking may be most effectively encouraged through targeting the dog-owner relationship and by providing dog-supportive physical environments. More research is required to investigate the influence of individual owner and dog factors on 'intention' to walk the dog as well as the influence of human social interaction whilst walking a dog.”
- 7Investigating the Potential Protective Effect of Dog Ownership on Incident Disabling Dementia and Its Cost-Effectiveness.International journal of environmental research and public health (Taniguchi et al.)Published Jul 22, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026
“Causal analysis showed that current dog owners (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.98) and past dog owners (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55-1.03) had low ORs for incident dementia compared to never dog ownership. Corresponding values for mortality showed low ORs, but no significant effect on current dog owners (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.35-1.01) and past dog owners (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60-1.00) compared to never owners. Results of cost-effectiveness analysis showed that dog ownership produced small but positive gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and was dominant (cost-saving and QALY-increasing) from the public payer perspective, reducing publicly financed medical and long-term care costs while increasing QALYs; when private dog-ownership costs were included in a scenario analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was ¥6,744,174 per QALY compared with no-dog status. This prospective study shows that dog ownership has a potential protective effect against the onset of disabling dementia in older adults. The study also revealed the potential of dog ownership to reduce public spending with regard to long-term care and medical expenditures.”
- 8Pet ownership and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of general psychiatry (Moshfeghinia et al.)Published Nov 5, 2025Checked Oct 4, 2026
“Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects models were used to compute pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using STATA-17.ResultsA total of 21 studies involving 159,322 participants were included. Overall, pet ownership was not associated with a significant change in depression risk compared to non-ownership (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.995-1.07). However, sensitivity analyses by pet type revealed that cat ownership was associated with a modestly increased risk of depression (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.09), whereas dog ownership showed no significant association (OR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.789-1.10).ConclusionThis study reveals a complex relationship between pet ownership and depression. Cat ownership is linked to a higher risk, while dog ownership shows mixed results. Overall, pet ownership isn't significantly associated with depression, highlighting the need for further research into its psychosocial dynamics and mental health implications.”
- 9Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the effects of human-animal interactions on health and well-being of older adults: an umbrella review.BMC geriatrics (Grotto & Buja)Published Jan 22, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026
“The data extracted from qualitative and quantitative research were presented according to the different types of exposure and summarized for the different outcomes using a tabular presentation.ResultsThe main findings regard the beneficial effects of dog-assisted interventions on social interaction and loneliness of older adults living in facilities; also, dog owners appeared to engage in high levels of walking activity. Qualitative research reported that older adults attributed to pets an important role and a variety of beneficial impacts (i.e., emotional support, sensory engagement, reciprocal interactions); some negative aspects related to pet ownership were also described as worries for pets' health, and pets' related expenses.ConclusionsOlder adults living in facilities could benefit from dog assisted interventions to improve social interactions and decrease loneliness. Dog owners are found to benefit from the animal's companionship, particularly regarding higher levels of physical activity due to dog walking.”
- 10Contact with dogs is associated with improved survival in cancer patients.Scientific reports (Preissner et al.)Published Feb 17, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026
“We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from a federated global health research network, focusing on patients diagnosed with cancer (International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10): C00-D49). From these, we generated two cohorts with contact with dogs (cohort 1) and one without (cohort 2). After propensity score matching for age and sex, a total of about 55,000 patients were included. Analysis of the matched cohort demonstrated that dog ownership was significantly associated with reduced 5-year all-cause mortality in cancer patients compared to non-owners (RR = 0.44). Survival analysis revealed a significantly higher 5-year cumulative survival rate among dog-owning patients versus non-owners, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.36. Contact with dogs is associated with a 64% relative risk reduction in cancer mortality, potentially mediated by increased physical activity, psychosocial support, and microbiome modulation. While retrospective design precludes causal inference, this first large-scale matched cohort study provides compelling epidemiological evidence warranting prospective validation.”
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Published 1 time since Sep 30, 2026.
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Open questions
Would longitudinal or randomised interventional studies confirm that acquiring a dog increases physical activity and improves health, rather than healthier people simply being more likely to own dogs?
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Which groups benefit most — for example people living alone, people with prior coronary events, or people with established cardiovascular disease — and does the apparent benefit hold up in adjusted analyses?
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Does the association between pet ownership and lower loneliness persist beyond the COVID-19 period, and does it differ between dogs and other pets?
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Which interventions — targeting the dog-owner relationship, the dog's exercise requirements, or dog-supportive environments — most effectively increase dog walking?
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