Fitness Files: Pets earn their keep by aiding our health

Left behind by the power hikers, Kim and I struggled up a stretch of trail at El Moro Canyon called Poles, a 2,100-foot hill that seems to be at a 60-degree angle.

Lively conversation distracted us from the straight-up scramble.

“Carrie, you have to write about how dogs keep us healthy,” Kim said.

Three years ago, Kim’s family adopted a cream-colored fur ball, a Lab/Golden puppy. It was love at first sight for me, even though the tiny puppy tested his needle-like teeth on my finger.

Hodi grew into a beautiful 55-pound male with a social IQ of 1,000. Greeting Thursday morning walkers, he makes each feel welcome. He sits on a foot, shoves his nose under a hand or just wags furiously.

Back to hiking El Moro. We crested the hill. Kim continued the conversation: “Hodi follows our family around the house, making sure we feel safe, happy and protected.”

When I visit Kim’s house, Hodi’s transparent brown eyes, black-lipped smile and pulled-back ears cause me to fall in love all over again. He returns my love by placing his hind quarters on my lap.

Delight is contagious, and Hodi’s warm welcome fills my heart, but these are emotional words. Is there research supporting the dog-human health connection?

Yes, says the National Institutes for Health in 2009. “Some of the largest and most well-designed studies in this field suggest that four-legged friends can help to improve cardiovascular health. One NIH-funded study looked at 421 adults who’d suffered heart attacks. A year later … dog owners were significantly more likely to be alive than were those who did not own dogs, regardless of the severity of the heart attack.”

WebMD echoes the theory by quoting University of Texas School of Public Health professor Blair Justice.

“People in stress mode get into a ‘state of dis-ease,’ in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system,” Justice is quoted as saying. “Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease.… Playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine — nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties.”

Another NIH study looked at 240 married couples and determined that those who owned a pet had lower heart rates and blood pressure, and that pet owners also seem to recovery more quickly from stress, Web MD says.

Other NIH studies cited benefits to humans of dogs’ desire to get out and walk.

One that looked at more than 2,000 dog owners who regularly walked their dogs found that they were less likely to be obese, and another that followed more than 2,500 adults ages 71 to 82 for three years found that whose who regularly walked their dogs walked faster and for longer periods and had greater mobility.

What about “dirty” dogs in the home, especially with babies and toddlers whose natural habitat is the floor?

WebMD’s Dr. James E. Dern says pets strengthen children’s immune systems and lessen allergies. In the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, he analyzed “the blood of babies immediately after birth and one year later … looking for evidence of an allergic reaction, immunity changes, and reactions to bacteria in the environment. If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies … had higher levels of some immune system chemicals — a sign of stronger immune system activation.”

My 85-year-old neighbor calls his Wheaton a chick magnet. Studies cite dog owners’ social gains, meeting new people when dog walking. Nadine Kaslow, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, tells WebMD:

“This especially helps ease people out of social isolation or shyness.”

Kim’s busy, accomplished family makes it a practice to focus on vitality, not illness. Kim got us both up the steep hill by celebrating Hodi’s health-giving presence. Turns out there’s science behind her observations, so Hodi as well as Stella and Blanche, our Chihuahuas, are earning their dog food.

Newport Beach resident CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK is a retired teacher who, since turning 70, has run the Los Angeles Marathon, placing first in her age group twice.