How Dogs Contribute To Our Health and Happiness

Discover how dogs can contribute to our physical and emotional well-being.

The Secret Life of Pets gave us one imaginary view of what goes on inside the minds of our companion animals when we’re not around. If it is to be believed, they go on death-defying experiences to save their friends while we’re away at the office. Of course, things are probably a little less exciting in the real world, but dogs are no less heroic.

In the distant past, wild dogs were potential wolves or competitors for early humans, but our two species have been best friends for tens of thousands of years.

Dogs have been protecting us for the duration of that time. They act as early warning systems that help us track food and save us from attackers. Even still, dogs as small as Chihuahuas will put their lives on the line to save their human companions.

Nowadays, according to new research being presented at the 2022 Digestive Disease Week conference, we have reason to believe that dogs protect us against disease.

The study asked about 4,300 participants — each of whom was a first-degree relative of a patient with Crohn’s disease — about several environmental factors in their lives during early childhood. They found that exposure to dogs lowered the risk of developing Crohn’s disease later in life.

Crohn’s disease is a provocative bowel disease that leads to digestive distress, pain, fatigue, and malnutrition. The exact cause of its development stays a mystery, but it’s believed that a malfunctioning immune reaction may be at play.

While there’s now no cure, there are cures that can reduce the severity of the symptoms. Moreover, if the results of this recent study bear out, giving a kid a dog could be a preventative step, reducing their chance of developing Crohn’s later in life.

Examining their questionnaire results, researchers found a relationship between people who had exposure to dogs between the ages of 5 and 15 and a healthy ratio between the gut microbiome and immune response. The relationship was enough to show up across other age groups.

Interestingly, researchers did not find the exact link among participants who had only cats during early life. So it’s unclear why dogs are beneficial in the fight against Crohn’s while cats are not. There may be some bacterial exposure that dogs provide and cats don’t.

That idea aligns with a different idea in immune health, known as the hygiene hypothesis, suggesting that raised exposure to microbes in early life can result in a more robust immune response. Whatever the reason, it’s one more reason for us to adore our dogs as if we required one. Dogs are the best.