Deakin University, in Australia, conducted a study amongst about 1,100 children between 5-12 years old, finding that pet ownership could help children to maintain a healther weight and lifestyle.

These children were found to have a better likelihood of staying fit and not becoming overweight or obese if they owned a dog, even if they didn’t regularly walk the dog.  It’s believed that the interaction (i.e. playing) children have with the dog helps to keep the weight off.  These researchers also found from one of their prior studies that “young girls who owned a dog were more physically active by 30 minutes than those without pets“.

Children who are younger have shown to benefit the greatest – “20% of those who owned a dog being overweight or obese compared with 25% of children who did not live with a pet“.  Also, “30% of 10-12 year olds who did not have a dog suffered weight problems compared with 27% of their peers with a pet“. 

Have you or someone you know physically benefited from owning a dog?

Source: The Age.com.au