Can Spending Time with Dogs Slow Down Aging? 

This post was written by Elinor Baker and Sinead Rhodes

Do you feel instantly happier after spending time with a dog? A recent article in the Daily Mail has suggested that spending time with dogs can even slow down aging, especially in women. But as with many stories, the truth turns out to be a little more complicated. 

The article appeared under the eye-catching title, “Woman’s best friend! Spending time with dogs slows ageing in women, study finds.” At first glance, it sounds like an easy way to prevent aging. But when you look beyond the headline, you discover that the study wasn’t about anti-aging creams or dog walks at all. It was about something far more meaningful: helping women military veterans recover from trauma. 

In the study, 28 women veterans with PTSD were split into two groups. Half volunteered to train service dogs, while the other half watched videos of dogs being trained. Both groups showed improvements in their mental health, with reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety. The researchers also found that women who spent an hour a week with a dog showed increased telomere length. Telomeres are structures which protect DNA from breaking down and their length is sometimes used to measure biological aging. Increased telomere length therefore suggests slower aging. 

The research only included female veterans, which are an under researched group, and found that the mental health benefits were greatest for women with combat experience. It’s unlikely then that the same results would apply to the general population, despite what the headline suggests.  

Also, although telomere length can be used to estimate biological age, it’s more like one piece of the puzzle and doesn’t give a full picture. To estimate biological age scientists use a combination of measurements to get a more accurate result. 

So, what does the wider research say?  

There’s plenty of evidence that spending time with animals can be good for your mental health. Being around animals can reduce stress, symptoms of depression and anxiety and have been shown to help people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  

Overall, it’s unlikely that hanging out with your dog will literally slow down aging, but it can make you feel better. While the Daily Mail article did highlight an interesting piece of research, it dressed it up with a misleading headline. So, if a headline catches your eye, it is always worth reading a little further to get to the truth of the story. What the study really shows is that spending time with animals could be a valuable way to support mental health, especially for women veterans who are often forgotten. So, beyond the catchy headline, the real takeaway is that animal connection may hold important clues for improving wellbeing in the future.