GradedHealth

Pet Ownership

Last reviewed October 2026 · Based on 18 studies

Bottom line

Dog owners have lower death rates in large observational studies, and time with pets eases stress and anxiety in the short term. Pet ownership and blood pressure results are mixed. The studies cannot prove that pets cause these differences.

What it helps with

  • Linked to a lower risk of dying — Benefit, evidence grade C (Limited). Observational cohorts only; pooled data were not adjusted for confounders and a Swedish twin sub-analysis did not replicate the result; downgraded for confounding and inconsistency.
  • Lowers blood pressure — Mixed results, evidence grade C (Limited). Mixed results: pooled data show a small systolic drop, a national survey shows fewer hypertension cases, and a large cohort shows slightly more blood pressure medicine starts; downgraded for inconsistency and observational design.
  • Calms stress and anxiety during pet contact — Benefit, evidence grade C (Limited). Pet therapy sessions rather than long-term ownership, plus one small trial; downgraded for indirectness and small size.
  • Reduces social isolation — Mixed results, evidence grade C (Limited). Systematic review of 24 observational studies; loneliness results were mixed and downgraded for observational design.
  • Eases depression and anxiety in older adults — Benefit, evidence grade C (Limited). Systematic review of 70 studies with mixed designs and quality; downgraded for quality and observational designs.
  • Can cause dog bite injuries — Harm, evidence grade C (Limited). Hospital case series plus literature review by breed, and a systematic review of prevention studies; downgraded for risk of bias and small data.
  • Linked to lower asthma risk in children — Benefit, evidence grade C (Limited). Meta-analysis of cohort studies with a protective pooled estimate; case-control studies found no significant effect; downgraded for inconsistency.

What it is

Pet ownership usually means keeping a dog or a cat. In a Central European cohort, 42% of adults owned a pet and 24% owned a dog [1].

How it might work

Proposed: dogs may help owners through social support and motivation for physical activity [2]. Dog owners who walk their dogs also do more home exercise [3].

What the research says

A meta-analysis of 10 studies found a 24% lower risk of death from any cause among dog owners (relative risk 0.76) [4]. A Swedish cohort of 3.4 million adults found a lower risk of death, but a twin sub-analysis did not repeat the cardiovascular result [2]. Pooled data show a slightly lower systolic blood pressure of about 1.7 mmHg among pet owners, with no difference in hypertension [5]. Pet therapy sessions reduced self-reported stress and anxiety [6].

Doses used in studies

In the emergency-room trial, children had a visit from a therapy dog of about 10 minutes [7]. The pet therapy meta-analysis pooled sessions of different lengths and frequencies [6].

Safety and interactions

Dog bites can cause serious facial injuries, which were more frequent and severe with pit bulls and mixed breeds in one review [8]. Leash laws and dog-control rules reduced bite rates in several studies [9]. Living with dogs in infancy was linked to lower odds of food allergy [10], and cat and dog exposure to lower asthma risk in children [11]. No studies of medicine interactions or pregnancy were found in the studies read for this page.

Caveats and open questions

Most evidence is observational, and owners differ from non-owners in smoking, education and activity [1][12]. The pooled mortality analysis was not adjusted for confounders [4]. Loneliness results are mixed [13].

References

  1. Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Health: Results From the Kardiovize 2030 Project.. Mayo Clin Proc Innov 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 Dog Walking: The Relationship With Exercise, Depression, and Hopelessness in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease.. J Cardiovasc Nurs, 2018.
  4. Dog Ownership and Survival: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 2019.
  5. Association between pet ownership and cardiovascular risks and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown), 2020.
  6. The effect of pet therapy on the physiological and subjective stress response: A meta-analysis.. Stress Health, 2018.
  7. Therapy Dogs for Anxiety in Children in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA Netw Open, 2025.
  8. Dog bite injuries to the face: Is there risk with breed ownership? A systematic review with meta-analysis.. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2019.
  9. Systematic review of dog bite prevention strategies.. Inj Prev, 2022.
  10. Dog ownership at three months of age is associated with protection against food allergy.. Allergy, 2019.
  11. 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.
  12. Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Health in the US General Population.. Am J Cardiol, 2020.
  13. Pet ownership, loneliness, and social isolation: a systematic review.. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2022.