Our furry and feathered friends do more than keep us company—they also provide numerous health benefits.

By Maggie Koerth for MSN Health & Fitness

1. Dogs as cancer detectors

Man’s real best friend may be his best friend’s nose. Dogs’ sense of smell is incredibly powerful, but it wasn’t until recently that scientists began siccing that sense on cancerous tumors. Researchers wondered if canines could be trained to smell the chemical difference between patients with cancer and those without. So far, the results have been promising. Studies show test dogs can accurately pick out patients with lung, breast, ovarian and bladder cancers. In some cases, the pups have hit accuracy rates as high as 97 percent.

But don’t book an appointment with Dr. Beagle just yet. The detection method is still in its early stages of research. To really prove that dog detection can work, researchers will need to show that dogs can identify afflicted patients who haven’t yet been diagnosed by traditional means, as opposed to using previously diagnosed cancer patients and healthy controls. Critics argue the dogs might not be smelling cancer, but instead some olfactory evidence of lifestyle differences between healthy people, and those who are already addressing (and worrying about) an illness.

2. Showing you whom to trust

According to some studies, you can learn a lot about your date, including whether they’re likely to engage in abusive behavior, by watching how they treat their pets. A 2007 study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence found that those who also abused pets were more violent and more controlling. In fact, it seems that abuse of animals often overlaps with a tendency toward domestic violence and abuse of children. There’s also evidence that violence toward animals might serve as a sign, in children and adults, that the person is more likely to be violent with humans as well.

3. Calming the anxious and soothing the depressed

Everybody runs into negative feelings at times including fear, stress, and anxiety, but some people are hit harder than others, and studies show that animals may be able to help. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to have at least a moderate effect on improving the emotional well-being of humans.

According to a large 2007 study in the journal Anthrozoös, researchers have successfully used animals to calm patients prior to a potentially frightening medical procedure; help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder conquer their fears; and decrease symptoms in people suffering from depression. How does it work? A 2000 study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that positive interaction with dogs can give a boost to the brain chemicals that lower blood pressure, which could be the biological basis behind these animal-assisted therapies.

4. Horses helping the disabled

Horseback riding can help everyone from wounded vets to children with cerebral palsy get back in the saddle when it comes to certain kinds of muscle control. Cerebral palsy patients treated with hippotherapy and recreational horseback riding therapy (which are fancy ways of saying, “spending time with and on horses”) saw improvements in muscle control and motor function, according to a 2006 study published in the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.
Victims of spinal cord injuries and traumatic head injuries, and those with multiple sclerosis have also been shown to benefit from time spent with pony pals. The key is in the way a rider’s body responds to a horse’s gait. The 2006 study found that riding a horse creates hip movements that mimic those of normal walking and can help people regain better control over their posture and balance.

5. Dogs as workout partners

Several studies have shown that dogs can play a role in motivating their owners to be more active, which could lead to improved physical fitness. The key seems to lie in what researchers call “non-exercise walking.” You probably know this activity better as simply “going for a stroll.” In general, it covers any walking that’s not done for transportation or a planned workout.

According to studies like one that was published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity in 2006, dog owners do it more. In fact, the JAPA study found no other type of pet that was linked to increased non-exercise walking and a 2008 Australian study found evidence that getting a dog leads new owners to start walking more. That’s good news for dog lovers. But remember, you only get the benefits if you actually go for the walkies.

6. Helping the autistic relate to others

People with autism spectrum disorders often have trouble relating to other people, but studies are showing that animals, whether real or virtual, might be able to help. Dr. Temple Grandin, an animal scientist who herself has autism, has written about how the rhythmic balancing required when riding on horseback can help children with autism be more receptive to learning language. Grandin also says service dogs can help people with autism feel safer and better navigate social situations.

 Other researchers have shown how caring for a “virtual” pet can teach autistic children empathy, and numerous studies have found evidence that bonding with a pet can help some people on the autism spectrum become more aware of social surroundings. There’s one catch: These therapies only work in people who aren’t scared of the animals. For instance, Grandin has pointed out that dog barks are painful and frightening to some autistic people if they’re particularly sensitive to sound.

7. Four-legged social planners

It’s not only the autistic who benefit socially from animals. A 2005 Australian study found that pet owners appeared to be more active in their communities and were more likely to feel like their neighborhood was friendly and safe. And, as any guy who’s ever gotten a date by taking a pup to the park will tell you, dogs can be smooth operators when it comes to helping their owners interact with strangers. A 2008 study in the journal Anthrozoös found that random people on the street were more likely to give money to men and women, help pick up dropped change and give out their phone numbers if the person making the request was accompanied by a pet pooch.

8. Boosters for baby’s immune system

New parents often worry whether having a cat or dog around the house will make their baby more prone to allergies, but that shouldn’t be a concern, according to Dennis Ownby, M.D., chief of the Allergy-Immunology Section of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Research clearly shows that household pets don’t increase the risk of allergies, he says. In fact, there’s some evidence that pets may actually offer infants allergy protection.

It all ties back to what Ownby calls the “hygiene hypothesis”; that super-clean, disinfected modern living ironically makes humans more prone to allergies. Ownby says having a pet may help desensitize babies’ immune systems, making allergic reactions of all types less likely. More research needs to be done, but Ownby says, “The take home is that they certainly don’t do any harm and that there may actually be some protection.”

9. Emergency “pet”-sonnel

Furry first-responders can help epilepsy patients get help faster after a seizure begins. Seizure-response dogs are specially trained pups who live and travel with a person with epilepsy the way a guide dog does with the blind. Experts, such as David Spencer, M.D., a neurologist and specialist in epilepsy at Oregon Health & Science University, and Michael Doherty, M.D., a neurologist at the Swedish Epilepsy Center in Seattle, say these pets improve their owners’ quality of life. Both doctors say response dogs can be trained to get help when a seizure occurs, either by barking to alert family and neighbors, or in some cases by learning how to trigger an alarm that summons human emergency crews. Plus, just having the dogs around seems to make patients feel safer and lowers their stress levels, factors that can actually lower their risk of seizures, according to Dr. Doherty.

10. Improving life for seniors

The relationship between elderly people, health and pet ownership still isn’t well understood, but some studies have shown potential benefits to seniors who keep a furry friend around the house. Salvatore Giaquinto, M.D., of the San Raffaele Pisana Rehabilitation Center in Rome published a study last year that analyzed more than 40 years of research. He found consistent evidence that pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, provides protection against cardiovascular problems in older adults.

Other research has shown that owning a pet may help older adults better cope with stressful and traumatic events in their life. Not all studies support this evidence, but, in general, researchers say it’s likely animal companionship could play a role in keeping seniors active and physically healthy and that pets may even be able to help relieve loneliness as well as symptoms of depression and dementia.

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