Dogs Can Help Heart Health
In addition to encouraging exercise, a dog may help improve your cardiovascular health. For example, in one study on dog ownership and blood pressure, 30 people with borderline hypertension were told to either adopt a dog from a local shelter immediately or remain dogless.
Months later, participants who adopted a furry friend experienced a reduction in blood pressure, unlike the others. But once those in the other group adopted dogs, their blood pressures decreased as well. Dogs aren’t a cure all for cardiovascular health issues, of course, but living with a canine companion may do your heart some good.
Dogs Encourage Exercise
Dogs have a special way of getting their humans off the couch and out moving. In fact, a dog owner walking their dog can log about 23,700 miles over the dog’s 12-year lifespan. “Of all pets, dogs appear most likely to positively influence the level of human physical activity,” the American Heart Association asserted in a scientific statement on pet ownership and cardiovascular risk.
In support of this, a study on dogs and exercise led by BioMed Central, found that dog owners on average walked 22 minutes more per day or 2760 additional steps per day compared to people who didn’t own a dog
Pets4Homes has a profile page on each dog breed which will help equip you with making the right decision on which breed to get – based on what’s right for you and your lifestyle – this includes information such as key breed facts, breed characteristics, highlights, history, caring information and average costs to keep and care for each breed.
They encourage exercise, they provide companionship, they make great travel companions, they foster a sense of community and are great ice breakers – bolstering support networks which can help guard against loneliness. Plus, the unconditional love that dogs give you – you can’t bottle that!
Let’s face it – retirement is something we all long for – but the reality is – it can come as a deep shock when the working routine you’ve had for the last 45 years is no longer there, and a lot of people end up struggling to find ways to fill the time that is now on their hands. It can also be an incredibly lonely and isolating period of our lives. So, it comes as no surprise that many about to enter retirement think it can be the perfect time to get a dog. As well as helping to bring a new routine into your life, there is also lots of research that suggests owning a pet can give a boost to your health and can also be great for your social life.
Of course, the dog you chose shouldn’t just depend on which breed you think is the cutest or which is the most popular.
The Cockapoo is also growing in popularity and is the highest ranked hybrid dog type in the UK and currently the 4th most popular dog breed overall. Followed by the Cocker Spaniel and the Labrador Retriever in 5thand 6thplace respectively.