However, a careful long-term 2025 study of 600 older adults in Baltimore led by Erika Friedmann and Nancy Gee found that owners who were more strongly bonded to their pets experienced greater declines in well-being over time than less attached pet owners.

According to a 2023 Pew Research Center study, 51 percent of pet owners say their pets are as much a part of the family as a human member. When people are asked to name those who they trust most, “pets will often be closer in their inner circle than family and friends,” Dr. Gee said.

As noted in The Role of Companion Animals in Treatment of Medical Disorders, a book co-written by Dr. Gee, there is an increasing amount of evidence that indicates pets may be beneficial to people experiencing PTSD, depression, or anxiety. Other research shows that having a dog tends to up your activity level, alleviate isolation, and provide a sense of purpose.

Companion animals can help alleviate loneliness,” says Nancy R. Gee, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “And older adults are particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of loneliness.

We examined the moderating role of pet attachment in the relationships of psychological status (mental wellbeing, happiness, anxiety, depression) to physical function (physical wellbeing, usual- and rapid-gait speeds, physical performance battery) in community-residing older adult pet owners. ... A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of pet-owning older adult participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (n = 178).