
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
The study in the journal "Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes" found that dog ownership was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of death from any cause among the general public.
And for those who live alone, there was a 33 percent lower risk of death.
It brings up an interesting concept — when people adopt a dog, they think they're doing it for the animal, not for their own health. But these studies suggest that adopting a dog may be as much of a service to your own health as the dog's.