Still your best friend

Photo by arrtx1 – Flickr

With more than 60 per cent of Australian households owning at least one pet, and similar statistics in other developed countries, pet owners around the world can attest to the happiness that a beloved animal can bring. Now recent research has backed up what animal lovers have suspected all along – that pet ownership, particularly of dogs, may have positive effects on human health.

In a 2008 review of relevant literature conducted by Australia’s Deakin University (Dr Cecily Maller et. al. 2008), the authors concluded that a substantial body of research indicates that pet ownership bestows both physiological and psychological benefits on an individual. These positive effects have been demonstrated internationally and accepted worldwide.

The list of physiological benefits includes everything from lower cholesterol levels to slower heart rates. On the psychological side, the mere fact of owning a pet and having something to nurture, care for and spend time with—an animal friend—is of itself sufficient to improve quality of life and promote health.

Canine Charter for Human Health
The UK organisation Dogs Trust has formulated these recognised benefits from its own compilation of research into a ‘Canine Charter for Human Health’, which states that having a dog results in a safeguard against depression, less stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, fewer visits to the doctor, a more robust immune system and quicker recovery from heart attacks. The Charter also states that dog ownership can assist in the development of children with autism and learning difficulties and points out that trained dogs can detect a range of health conditions, such as warning epileptics of an imminent seizure.

Subsequent research has demonstrated that dog ownership in particular is also beneficial to health because it motivates and spurs individuals to adopt healthy behaviours, especially walking. There is nothing like owning a dog to get someone off the couch and out and about walking in the neighbourhood. The Dogs Trust has recognised this in its Charter, stating that the benefits of dog ownership are even greater if the owner walks their dog.

So it is not just that owning a dog makes us healthier, it is also that owning a dog makes us behave in healthier ways and adopt beneficial habits by incorporating walking and outside activity into our everyday lives. Given that one of the most common places where people walk their dogs is in parklands, having a dog also exposes dog owners to ‘green nature’ which in turn boosts immunity, enhances productivity and promotes healing (Dr Cecily Maller et. al. 2008).

Pets build stronger communities
Are there other broader benefits to be gained by dog ownership? This issue has been tackled by Dr Lisa Wood, the Deputy Director of the Centre for Built Environment and Health at the University of Western Australia, and her colleagues, who presented at the Healthy Parks, Healthy People International Congress in Melbourne in 2010. They used case studies to show that the benefits of pet ownership are not confined to individuals, but extend out to communities by strengthening the social fabric. Dr Wood has defined ‘social fabric’ as a sense of community and neighbourhood cohesion, or to quote Potapchuk (1997), ‘the glue that holds society together’.

So how exactly does dog ownership do this? In part it is because having a dog encourages walking both in streets and in our parks, which in turn enables people to meet and talk to each other, thereby reducing social isolation. Dog owners talk more to other people and are more likely to make friends in parks than those who don’t own dogs. Dogs act as social magnets that attract comment and attention and make it easier for strangers to say hello and have a quick chat. This builds a sense of community and makes the neighbourhood a friendlier place for all residents.

Dog-friendly design
Given the demonstrated evidence of the link between dog ownership and improved human and community health, the next step is to accommodate the needs of dog owners in the designing and planning of parks, which are crucial sites for dog walking and exercise. Virginia Jackson, director of the Melbourne-based urban policy analysis firm Harlock Jackson, says planning for dogs has become a park management imperative because dog walking is not just for dogs. ‘Dog walking is a main form of exercise for humans, and we have a responsibility to meet the recreational needs of humans,’ she says. Therefore, accommodating dogs is important to keep people healthy.

Ms Jackson is a strong advocate for the provision of off-leash areas for dogs, but agrees that it is a question of achieving ‘absolute balance’, ensuring the needs of all people are catered for and recognising the fear that some people have of unrestrained animals. She sees the key task in each community as determining how everyone can work together to accommodate various needs. The serious but miniscule risks posed by off-leash dogs need to be recognised and managed, especially with regards to children who, due to their size, can be most vulnerable in the presence of unrestrained dogs. This can be achieved by separating playground areas from off-leash areas, either by planting of vegetation or by creating distance between dog areas and playgrounds, and by encouraging dog owners to undertake obedience training with their animals. Important too is educating children about dog behaviour and how to approach dogs, which is already happening in many kindergartens and schools across Australia.

While some local councils impose time restrictions on usage of parks to cater for competing demands on public open space, this presents its own problems. As Ms Jackson says, ‘responsible has different meanings to different people’. The notion of what constitutes responsible dog ownership is fluctuating, compounded by a confusing array of requirements stipulating the distance dog owners need to be from their off-leash animals, which varies between parks and across municipalities.

Dog parks
Some local governments in Australia have adopted the idea of specialised ‘dog parks’ to cater for dog owners and also to restrict off-leash dog access in other council parks. Typically, these dogs parks are fenced and equipped with a comprehensive range of facilities, including dog obstacle courses and play areas; seating; tables, BBQs; toilets; drinking water for dogs and owners; and bags and bins for disposal of dog faeces.

However, as Ms Jackson has pointed out, many dog owners are obliged to drive to these official dog parks as they are not within walking distance. She argues that these dog parks should not exist at the expense of leash-free areas in other parks, as all dog owners should be able to access by foot a park in which to walk their dog. ‘If no leash-free areas are provided, there are issues of compliance,’ she says. ‘It is better to provide off-leash areas and use them as an educational tool.’

As we now know, getting dogs out and about means that they are more socialised and less likely to display problem behaviours such as excessive barking or aggression. Dogs motivate humans to exercise and make walking a more meaningful activity, which in turn creates a friendlier neighbourhood. On all counts, it is important to cater for dog owners close to where they live. As Ms Jackson reminds us, ‘We are not planning for dogs, we are planning for people with dogs, and non-dog owners need to be educated to expect dogs off the leash in off-leash areas.’ Making it work is the challenge that municipalities face as they manage population growth and increasing demand for access to public open space.