WESTERN MAIL (Cardiff, UK) 25 November 05 Pet owning children are healthier (Madeleine Brindley)
Owning a pet can reduce the amount of time children are off school because of sickness, new research has found.
Caring for common household pets has also been linked to general health and wellbeing, particularly for older people and patients recovering from major illness.
About half of households in Wales own a pet - from cats and dogs to the more exotic snakes and lizards - and more than 90% of owners regard their pet as a valued family member.
Research has previously suggested that pet ownership is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, lower use of family doctor services, and a reduced risk of asthma and allergies in young children.
And there is also a suggestion that owning a pet is associated with less absenteeism from school through sickness in children.
It is thought that the very act of owning and caring for a pet carries with it social benefits and emotional support. Studies have shown that support from pets may mirror some of the elements of human relationships known to contribute to health.
June McNicholas, a psychologist from Ross-shire in Scotland, writing in today's British Medical Journal, said, "People do not own pets specifically to enhance their health, rather they value the relationship and contribution their pet makes to their quality of life."
And Cliff Arnall, a psychologist at Cardiff University's Centre for Lifelong Learning, who specialises in confidence and happiness, said, "From a physical point of view, dog ownership involves people exercising it.
"But it is more than that as people get to know other dog owners and have a social life associated with their dogs.
"We know that in terms of being healthy and happy and having a good immune system, a part of that is the ability to talk, sometimes about banal things, with other people.
"In the case of cats, it is the notion of caring for something else - the fact that you have to think of something outside yourself, give it food, water or milk.
"People with depression focus in on themselves but this gives them something else to focus on.
"The same can be said of any other animal."
But Ms McNicholas and her colleagues have warned that there can be some major drawbacks to owning a pet, including a negative impact on health.
It is thought that up to 70% of pet owners would disregard advice to get rid of a pet because of allergies, while reports abound of older people avoiding medical care through fear of being admitted to hospital or residential care as this often means giving up a pet, the team said.
They added, "The loss of a pet may be particularly distressing for owners if it was linked with a deceased spouse or if it offered companionship or social contact with people.
"For these reasons many people may appreciate help and advice on how to manage a pet in the event of a health problem in the family."
In a related article, also published in the BMJ today, a study in Honduras has found that swimming with dolphins can alleviate mild to moderate depression.
Pet owning children are healthier