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CrowdScience: Are dogs good for us?

Discussion & Talk

Are dogs good for us?

11/08/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Are dogs good for us?

Investigating whether our canine companions are good for our health and wellbeing

We investigate whether our canine companions are good for our health and wellbeing.  Could your pet dog really help you live longer?

Dogs have been our best animal buddy for thousands of years. They’ve helped us out in countless ways from hunting alongside us to guiding us as service dogs. Talk to any pet owner and they’ll tell you how much joy their dog brings them. But you’ll also probably hear about vets bills, muddy footprints, or chewed up slippers. There are plenty of claims about the ways in which dogs might benefit our physical and mental health -- but how strong is the evidence?

This week on CrowdScience, listeners Jason and Finn in Guernsey want to know if there’s any real evidence that our furry friends can benefit our health and wellbeing. 

Join Anand Jagatia as he enlists the help of his own pup, Stella, to explore the evidence. He uncovers the profound effects that service dogs can have on the mental health of military veterans in the US. Anand ponders the strangely unique relationship between humans and dogs and we learn about the surprising ways that about growing up with a pet dog can impact your health.

Presenter: Anand Jagatia
Producer: Emily Bird 
Editor: Richard Collings 
Studio Engineer: Donald MacDonald 
Production coordinator: Jonathan Harris, Elliott Prince

Contributors: 
Dr Kerri Rodriguez 
Professor Tove Fall 
Professor Hal Herzog

(Photo: Jack Russell leaping into the air trying to catch a ball. Credit: Brighton Dog Photography/Getty Images)

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