It has been
established that dogs and cats may enhance quality of life among older adults
and act as a buffer to social isolation, bereavement and grieving, and
loneliness. I found a fascinating
article about how older dog owners interact with pets and people while walking
with them. I hope you find it
interesting, too.
Rogers, Hart,
and Boltz (2001) compared two groups of older adults living in a mobile home
park. The two groups were dog walkers
and non-dog walkers. During the study,
they found that dog owners spoke to their dogs as people. They asked them questions as if speaking to a
baby and used baby talk. The researchers
found that non-dog walkers who strolled in the neighborhood spoke to each other
about their aches and pains. However,
dog owners and those who approached them spoke about the dog. Instead of discussing their aches and pains,
the conversation was about how Tippy was doing or how Tippy looked. They also found that when dog owners were out
strolling without their dog, they were asked about the dog…..“Where’s Tippy
today?” “How’s Tippy doing?” The dog walkers were approached more often to
engage in conversation than non-dog walkers.
The dog walkers
got twice as much exercise and fresh air than non-dog walkers. Most of the dog walkers in the study walked their
dogs twice a day for at least 30 minutes.
The non-dog walkers walked approximately once daily for 30 minutes.
What is the
takeaway from this study? Companion pets
may be beneficial emotionally and physically for older adults. Pets may reduce loneliness by substituting
for people. Pets provide unconditional
love and don’t care about appearance or infirmity. Pet owners report less depression. Older adults have indicated that pets are
their only friend and confident. Older
adults are treated less favorably by the medical community and are often
discounted or rejected. The pets never
reject them! Pets are willing companions
and always available!
Rogers, J.,
Hart, L.A., & Boltz, R.P. (2001). The role of pet dogs in casual
conversations of elderly adults. Journal of Social Psychology, 133(3),
265-277.
