Probably, though the data are mixed. In the 1980s, some studies suggested that pet ownership was indeed linked to better health in a number of ways.
But a review of more recent studies, published late last year in the British Medical Journal, disputed that. Researchers could not confirm, for instance, that pet ownership was linked to a lower risk of heart disease, that pet owners made fewer doctor visits or that owning a pet boosted the mental and physical health of older adults. The journal did report that kids who have pets miss fewer days of school and that swimming with dolphins can reduce human depression.
Even without a proven health benefit, though,pets “provide companionship, they are a source of comfort, and people who have difficulty communicating with other people can express themselves freely with pets,” said Dr. Leonard C. Marcus, a Newton-based veterinarian and people doctor.
Among other things, he said, having a dog means the human has to get exercise, too.
Perhaps the most intriguing research on pet-human interactions is a study from California published in January in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies. Researchers trained normal, household dogs to diagnose with high accuracy and by only the scent in exhaled breath, which people had lung or breast cancer.
My personal bottom line? Get a pet. Human family members are great, in their place. But my cat is the only one who rolls around and purrs when I come home.