Sorry, Fido: New evidence suggests pet ownership may not be as beneficial to health as we thought

Your furry friend might not be the answer to a ruff life.Canine companionship has long been touted as a remedy for people seeking comfort and connection, particularly when pandemic-era lockdowns kept millions apart.But new research suggests that even in times of extreme social isolation, having a pet doesn’t always improve well-being — and sometimes, it makes it worse.The study analyzed data from nearly 3,000 Hungarians, collected over several months in 2020 by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.Among the participants, 65 acquired a pet while 75 lost one, prompting the team to examine how these changes affected their well-being over time.The results? Not exactly tail-wagging.Researchers found new pet owners experienced a short-lived boost in cheerfulness after bringing a dog home — but that initial high didn’t last.Over time, their calmness, life satisfaction, cheerfulness and activity levels dropped.“What surprised me most was that new pet in the household had no effect on the respondents’ loneliness,” Judit Mokos, a data scientist and one of the paper’s first authors, said in a statement.  “Our research suggests that dogs do not provide a real solution to loneliness; rather, they make the new owners more anxious,” she added. Even more surprising: losing a pet didn’t affect the well-being of their former owners.“It appears that, at least during stressful periods, the average person, who may not be the primary caregiver but simply shares a household with the pet, is not significantly affected by the pet’s loss, nor is their well-being a strong predictor of the decision to acquire one,” said Ádám Miklósi, who initiated the data collection on companion animals.

These findings cast doubt on earlier studies suggesting dog ownership offers a wide range of health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, building social connections, increasing physical activity and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.“Bas...