GradedHealth

Does owning a pet reduce stress and help your heart?

Large studies link dog ownership to lower death rates, and time with pets eases stress in the short term. The studies cannot prove pets cause the difference.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Dog owners have lower death rates in large studies, and pet contact eases stress in the short term. The evidence is observational, so it does not prove pets protect the heart. Evidence grade C (Limited). Large observational cohorts and short pet-therapy studies with mixed blood pressure results; downgraded for confounding, inconsistency and small trials.

Key takeaways

  • Dog owners had lower death rates in large observational studies, but the pooled analysis did not adjust for confounders [1][2].
  • Dog owners who had a heart attack and lived alone had a lower risk of death in a large Swedish register study [3].
  • Pet therapy sessions were followed by lower self-reported stress and anxiety, but blood pressure did not change [4].
  • Dog bites can cause serious injuries, and facial injuries were more frequent and severe with some breeds [5][6].
  • Pet ownership and blood pressure results are mixed, and most of the evidence is observational [7][8].

The short version

Dog owners had lower death rates in several large studies, including after a heart attack or stroke [1][3]. Time with pets also eased stress and anxiety in the short term [4]. These are observational links, so they do not prove that pets protect the heart [2].

What the studies show

A meta-analysis of 10 studies with about 3.8 million people found dog owners had a 24% lower risk of death from any cause (relative risk 0.76) [1]. The same analysis found a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death [1].

In a Swedish register cohort of 3.4 million adults, dog owners had a lower risk of death: a hazard ratio of 0.67 in single-person households and 0.89 in larger ones [2]. In a sub-analysis of the Swedish Twin Register, the authors could not repeat the reduced cardiovascular risk [2].

After a heart attack, dog owners who lived alone had a lower risk of death (hazard ratio 0.67). Owners who lived with a partner or child also had a lower risk, with a hazard ratio of 0.85 [3]. In elderly people with high blood pressure, past and current pet owners had 22% and 26% lower cardiovascular mortality [9].

For blood pressure, a pooled analysis found pet owners had systolic pressure about 1.7 mmHg lower and a lower heart rate, but no difference in the rate of hypertension [7]. A US national survey found pet owners were less likely to have high blood pressure (odds ratio 0.67) [10].

In a meta-analysis of 28 studies with 1,310 people, pet therapy sessions were followed by lower self-reported stress and anxiety and a change in heart rate, but no change in blood pressure [4]. In an emergency-room trial of 80 children, a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog reduced child-reported anxiety more than standard care alone (a drop of 2.7 points against 1.5) [11].

A systematic review of 24 observational studies found pet ownership linked to lower social isolation in adults. Loneliness results were mixed, with more positive findings after COVID-19 [12]. Across 70 studies of older adults, companion animals were linked to better quality of life and to fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety in 52 of them [13].

The nuances

Owners differ from non-owners in ways that affect health. Dog owners in a Central European cohort were more physically active and ate better, but smoked more [14]. US survey owners were more educated and more likely to smoke [10]. The authors of the pooled mortality analysis say its studies were not adjusted for confounders [1].

Dog walking matters. Among 122 heart patients, those who walked their dog at least once a week did more home exercise. Depression and hopelessness did not differ between owners and non-owners [15].

Dog bites are a real risk. In one review of facial dog bite injuries, pit bulls and mixed breeds caused more frequent and more severe injuries [5]. Leash laws and other dog-control rules reduced bite rates in several studies, while breed-specific laws had less effect [6]. Child injury is a major burden, so the review authors call for protecting children [6].

Allergy results are reassuring but limited. Reviews of cohort studies link exposure to cats and dogs with a lower risk of asthma, mostly in children [16]. In one trial, living with dogs in infancy was linked to much lower odds of food allergy [17]. These results come from children and infants, so they say little about adults who already have pet allergies.

What this means for you

Pets may bring company and daily activity, which are the mechanisms the studies suggest [2]. Owning a pet also brings costs, time and the risk of bites. If you already have allergies, heart disease or a stress condition, talk to your doctor before deciding. Pets can sit alongside that care, but they are not a treatment.

Go deeper

  • Pet Ownership — Dog owners have lower death rates in large observational studies, and time with pets eases stress and anxiety in the short term.

References

  1. Dog Ownership and Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 2019.
  2. Dog ownership and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death - a nationwide cohort study.. Sci Rep, 2017.
  3. Dog Ownership and Survival After a Major Cardiovascular Event: A Register-Based Prospective Study.. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 2019.
  4. The effect of pet therapy on the physiological and subjective stress response: A meta-analysis.. Stress Health, 2018.
  5. Dog bite injuries to the face: Is there risk with breed ownership? A systematic review with meta-analysis.. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2019.
  6. Systematic review of dog bite prevention strategies.. Inj Prev, 2022.
  7. Association between pet ownership and cardiovascular risks and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown), 2020.
  8. Dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors: a nationwide prospective register-based cohort study.. BMJ Open, 2019.
  9. Pet ownership and survival in the elderly hypertensive population.. J Hypertens, 2017.
  10. Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Health in the US General Population.. Am J Cardiol, 2020.
  11. Therapy Dogs for Anxiety in Children in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA Netw Open, 2025.
  12. Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic review.. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2022.
  13. Companion Animals and Health in Older Populations: A Systematic Review.. Clin Gerontol, 2020.
  14. Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Health: Results From the Kardiovize 2030 Project.. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes, 2019.
  15. Dog Ownership and Dog Walking: The Relationship With Exercise, Depression, and Hopelessness in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease.. J Cardiovasc Nurs, 2018.
  16. Effect of Exposure to Cats and Dogs on the Risk of Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.. Am J Rhinol Allergy, 2020.
  17. Dog ownership at three months of age is associated with protection against food allergy.. Allergy, 2019.