Animal Attraction

By Sally S. Stich/Denver

When her father died two years ago, Karen Wright was terribly worried about her mother Violet, then 72. "Mom had always been energetic and full of zest," says Wright, 39, a media-relations expert in Mankato, Minn. "But after Dad died, she didn't take care of herself and got sick frequently." There didn't seem to be much left to live for--except an 11-lb. docile Pomeranian dog named Buddy. "I never paid much attention to Buddy when my husband was alive," says Violet Wright, who lives in Amery, Wis. "But suddenly he depended on me for his survival."

It's well-accepted dogma that pets offer their owners a therapeutic release; a pet can give a person's life purpose and meaning, especially after a loss. But scientists are building on the evidence that pets may also offer their owners significant health benefits and may even add years to a person's life.

Scientists have been studying the pets-and-health connection for a while. In 1990 researchers at UCLA found that pets could help reduce the amount of time you spend at the doctor's office. In a study of people 65 and older with pets, researchers saw that the subjects visited the doctor 16% less than petless participants. "The societal implications of pets as health enhancers for people 50 and older are critical," says Alan Beck, director of the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. "If exposure to companion animals reduces the number of doctor visits, if it allows people to live independently, if it improves morale and allows them to handle stress better, then pets are a legitimate strategy for survival."

That theory has spurred other scientists to look for a link between pets and longevity. Just this past April at a conference on Pets and the Aging at Emory University, Rebecca Johnson, a professor of gerontological nursing at the University of Missouri at Columbia, presented findings that suggest that interaction with pets may minimize or even reverse some of the damaging cell changes that occur naturally with aging. According to Johnson's study, levels of endorphins, serotonin and prolactin--substances that can enhance feelings of well-being--increased in study participants during interaction, while cortisol levels (stress hormones) decreased. "If part of natural aging is cell changes as the result of biochemical stressors," says Johnson, "we're looking to minimize the damage by increasing the output of good hormones through something as simple as exposure to an animal."

There's also evidence to support the notion that pets may be beneficial in nursing homes. In a two-year study conducted by the Texas Long Term Care Institute, five nursing homes cumulatively reported--after introducing pets into their facilities--a 57% decrease in pressure bed sores, along with 25% fewer patients being confined to their beds. The benefits extended to the staff as well. Absenteeism decreased 48%.

Of course, you could be allergic to pets, or maybe you just don't want the hassle and mess. Not to fear. A robo-animal could be just the thing to lighten your mood and improve your health. At Purdue University, researchers are testing to see whether electronic surrogates, like the Sony robotic dog AIBO, might offer the same physical, cognitive and emotional benefits as real dogs. "We use technology all the time to bring nature to us--we watch the Discovery Channel; we enjoy silk plants," says Beck, one of the researchers on the study. Even if the electro-pet works, you still don't have to let him on the couch.