Pet ownership is associated with reduced deterioration in physical and cognitive function as older adults age... We examined the relationship of pet, dog, and cat attachment to changes in physical and cognitive function among 214 pet-owning, generally healthy, community-dwelling adults aged 50–100 years (M = 68.0, SD = 7.8) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA).

Loneliness is linked to significant health threats and is potentially more dangerous than obesity; it affects as many as 29% of noninstitutionalized older adults... Emerging evidence suggests that companion animals provide a number of health and well-being benefits and that interacting with a trained therapy dog may reduce loneliness.

Research into the impact of social relationships on childhood and adolescent health and wellbeing has been largely limited to children’s relationships with other humans, while studies into the impact of pet ownership are sparse and have generally not adjusted for potential confounders. This study aimed to investigate the association between pet ownership and a range of developmental outcomes in childhood and adolescence.

It’s not even clear that there’s always a correlation between pets and human health or bliss, let alone a causal link, says Gee. “Many people assume dogs are good for us but they can be bad for us as well ... pets are not a panacea, there are times when they are good for us and times when not so much.”

Gee has been studying the interactions between therapy dogs and humans for more than two decades and leads the Dogs on Call program at VCU, which started in 2001. While more research needs to be done on the specific therapy interventions between athletes and dogs, Gee says recent studies show that a pet makes a difference during high stress activities.