Research in Human-Animal Interaction
by Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter, gulfnews.com
Dubai: Dog and cat owners in the United Arab Emirates have hailed research that shows that having a four-legged friend is good for your health.
Researchers in Northern Ireland have found that people who own dogs on average have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Cat owners too are healthier than those without pets, the study from Queen's University, Belfast, found, although the effect is not as strong as with dogs.
Dr Martin Wyness, who runs the British Veterinary Centre in Abu Dhabi, said there were many health benefits linked to pet ownership, among them lower levels of gastrointestinal disease and various allergies.
In addition, he said children brought up with pets could be less likely to suffer from asthma and hay fever.
"If children are exposed to animals or outside dirt, the immune system develops more normally and is stronger. It doesn't respond inappropriately," he said.
As the authors of the research have suggested, Wyness said it was likely that having a dog was particularly beneficial for health because of the need to take the animal for a walk.
He added: "Cat owners have benefits too. Having a cat or dog can have a very real effect on blood pressure."
Jackie Ratcliffe, chairwoman of Dubai-based dog rescue organisation K9 Friends, said she was not surprised to hear of the findings, which were published in the British Journal of Health Psychology.
"This is why you have 'pat dogs' in hospitals and old people's homes -stroking a dog relaxes you," said Ratcliffe, who has five pet dogs of her own.
"People can stress you out because of their backstabbing and complaining, but with a dog you don't have that. They love you whatever the situation."
Cat owner Cristina Dockx, who helps to run Muezza's Feline Friends, a Sharjah-based cat welfare group, said she too had no doubts about the benefits of pet ownership.
"People who care for dogs and cats have a tendency to relax more, forget about their worries and focus on something else.
"The good thing is that there is serious research done on this - it is not just someone sitting on their sofa observing their friends," she said.
She said pet owners 'create a bond' with their animals and that the animals in turn are good at reading the mood of their owners.
"My cat, when I am stressed or when I cry, will come and lick the tears from my eyes," she said.