When you consider that
That alone is a pretty good indication that they are not a health hazard to humans. If they caused a plague at any point in that history, they would have been kicked to the curb.
Yes, thank you for clearing that up.
I read that dogs can get CV. From people! People kissing their dogs! Yikes!
They are at risk from US !
(Not really, so far the infected dog survived!)
Sorry. I meant the plural you. Many many people confuse disgust or fear (very subjective and culturally mediated) with actual danger of … anything at all.
I sigh because I have written versions of that post for
spiders
general insect life
non-venomous snakes
pet rats
and many activities to do with livestock which apparently disgust and/or frighten most Americans unless we are talking about baby animals.
It’s not you personally.
Thank you for the informative links. My own experience would have told me immediately that the subreddit cited by the OP was wrong and in fact the opposite of the truth, but it’s nice to have scientific backing. To begin with, dogs are psychologically beneficial because they provide attention, love, and affection – that’s why therapy dogs exist, and they’re not just for kids. I know that when I had a dog, I was much more physically active due to having to walk him, and more social in terms of meeting other dog owners on the street or in the park. The “work” of caring for a dog’s needs helps lend an important systematic routine to daily life that might otherwise not exist if one is retired and living alone. It’s no wonder that owning a dog is associated with lower levels of cardiovascular disease – I would venture that it’s a combination of more exercise and lower levels of stress, and the benefits of at least a semi-regular routine.
As for germs, one of the counter-factors here is that exposure to germs actually helps strengthen the immune system. Kids brought up in hyper-clean environments often grow up with weakened immune systems and other health issues. OTOH, there are such things as zoonotic diseases – diseases that can pass from dog to human. So it’s important to keep your dog properly vaccinated, given preventative treatment against fleas and ringworm through such products as Sentinel, and keeping him clean through regular brushing and the occasional (not more than once every few months, IMO) bath with dog shampoo, especially if he’s going to sleep on your bed. It’s controversial whether letting a dog sleep with you is a good idea or not, both in terms of physical health and in terms of the psychology of maintaining mastery over the dog. I loved my Bernese Mountain Dog more than anything, and showered him with hugs and kisses and barbecued steaks, but he had his own favorite places to sleep, and none of them were on my bed. He was allowed on a small couch in the family room and lay on it often, but rarely slept there. He preferred a little cubby-hole between my desk and the wall in my bedroom, but would occasionally get up in the night and go over to his other spot, beside my son’s bed in his room.
I don’t know how much influence the extra exercise has. Some studies have shown that people with cats tend to live longer than those without.
OK, when it’s a kitten you probably do get more exercise from running around the house yelling, “Get down! You’re a bad kitty! Get away from that!” But once they grow up changing the litter is about as energetic as you get.
Spam (axisaspira) reported
reported
ETA: it’s gone already!!