The results are in; more than half of American dog owners admit they flake out on social events to hang out with their pet. We recently surveyed 2,000 American dog owners and confirmed what most people already know - owning a dog makes us better humans and improve our mental, physical and emotional health every single day. The most surprising thing we learned is that almost ¾ of the people surveyed admitted they tell their dog secrets they don't tell anyone else.
The physical benefits of dog ownership are often the first that come to mind, but we've found the emotional and mental health benefits of having a furry companion are just as impactful. People consider their dogs members of their family and are looking for ways to connect and interact with them on a deeper level.
Here's a round-up of the most interesting things we learned:
- According to the study, 82% of dog owners noticed an improvement in their mental and emotional health thanks to their dog. Specifically, single responders said their dog helped them through an average of 4.83 stressful events per week.
- Six in ten survey takers said their dog often takes care of them in some way, shape or form, reinforcing the important two-way relationship between dogs and humans.
- Four in ten responders said they leaned on their pet to get through the loss of a loved one.
- Another 20% said their dog has helped them get through a difficult break-up.
- More than half of dog owners surveyed said seeing their pet when they come home makes them feel extremely happy.
- 88% said their dog made them a better person.
- Owning a dog also motivates us to move more. More than two-thirds of the survey takers credit their dog with helping them to exercise more regularly. 62 percent of those polled say their dog gets them out of the house for a walk two or more times a day, with 68% claiming to have actually noticed improvements in their health as a result.
- 81% of responders said they talked to their dog like they were a friend, and single responders were two times as likely to talk about relationship problems with their pup.
- 73% saying they tell their dog things they wouldn't tell anyone else.
- Safety is also a significant benefit of dog ownership, with nine out of ten responders saying they feel safer with their dog nearby.
- 78% of dog owners said they make life decisions based on their pet. More than half say they sometimes skip social occasions to hang out with their dog, and 75% reported they did not like to be away from their little buddy at all.
- Dogs aren't the only loyal creatures, it turns out. 80% said it would be a deal breaker if their romantic partner did not like their pet.
What do you think? Do you fall in line with these fellow dog lovers?
