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Walking is positively associated with health outcomes in older adults. Dog walking may differ from other reasons for walking (i.e., recreation, transportation) because it involves the relationship with a companion animal. Although some studies linking dog ownership with walking have benefited from robust and nationally representative samples, the majority of studies exploring the motivation of dog walking have had small samples sizes. This study uses a nationally representative sample to investigate the link between the health benefits associated with dog ownership and dog walking, and older adults’ relationships with their dogs as a motivator for walking.

Source: The Gerontologist, 2017
https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/issue/57/5