Pets May Be Both Beauties and Beasts, Scientists Told

The family pooch could help you get over a heart attack, and a bowl of goldfish might help reduce your stress, but chances are that one of these days your neighbor’s dog is also going to try to tear your leg off.

That’s the good and the bad news about America’s massive pet population, which includes 48 million dogs and 27 million cats. Most are clustered in urban centers, creating a public health problem that warrants far greater attention, scientists attending the national meeting of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science were told Tuesday.

“Animal contact is a positive benefit for many people, but in urban centers it also can be a cause of grief,” said Alan M. Beck, director of the Center for Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Beck cited numerous diseases transmitted by pets and noted that one of the most common carriers is dog feces, which is also the most common breeding ground for disease-carrying flies. He said that one study in Savannah, Ga., “showed that a single dog fecal deposit produced an average of 144 house flies.”

Still, he said, not every urban center gives a high priority to such a health threat.

When New York City passed a law requiring owners to pick up and dispose of their dog’s droppings, “the mayor took it very seriously,” and the law was enforced, Beck said. That has not happened in most other cities, including Los Angeles, he said, and “scooper” laws have had little effect because they have been ignored.

“You have no idea the law exists (in the Los Angeles area),” Beck said.

Beck also presented statistics showing that it is no longer rare to be bitten by a dog.

“One person in every 250” in the United States is bitten annually, he said.

“Because of the intimacy of contact, children from 5 to 9 years old are overwhelmingly the victims,” he added.

A person is more likely to be bitten by a pet than by a stray, especially someone else’s pet.

“Apparently, pets that are more accustomed to people are less wary of them and are more likely to aggressively protect their territory,” he said. “Strays are more likely to retreat from people.”

However, Beck harbors no hopes that people will give up their pets, and he suggested several times that pets play an important role in the lives of many people.

“People associate animal contact with safety and intimacy,” he said. “There seems to be a kind of relaxation effect from animals.”

Surprising Effect

In recent years, he said, a number of studies have indicated that pet ownership can have a surprising effect on the health of the owner.

“There is a greater survival rate after heart attacks for pet owners,” he said, citing a 1980 public health report that showed improved chances of survival for pet owners.

“We’ve spent the last five years trying to explain that away,” he said.

Citing other studies, Beck noted that “in a laboratory setting, the mere presence of a dog significantly lowered blood pressure and reduced stress in children.”

He said the dog doesn’t have to be the child’s own pet--”any friendly dog will do”--and the pet doesn’t even have to be a dog.

Even Fish Tank Helpful

“Just simply contemplating a fish tank reduces stress,” he said.

The feeling of intimacy, or of having something that needs your care, is what attracts many people to pets, Beck said.

About half the pet dogs in America share a bedroom with a member of the family, “and often the bed itself,” Beck said.

Pet birds don’t do as well.

“Only about 28% of the bird owners keep their birds in the bedroom,” he said.