That's no surprise to me. And if you've ever taken a pet to an assisted living home, you know that pets help people live longer, too, by brightening up their days. People should not take away the pets of the elderly. Here in San Diego we have a group called Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) that visits the homes of the elderly and indigent and takes care of their pets -- feeding, walking, vet visits, water, baths, grooming -- so that the owner can simply enjoy their companionship.
Good comment, Ray. My mother-in-law has two therapy dogs and takes them to long-term care facilities and such.
It's wonderful for the people and makes a huge difference in their quality of life.
Paul: Great post … and the dogs in the shelter need someone to love and care for them too … so it is a win/win. So much research has been done on animal/elder interaction as well as animal/human interaction. Animals are healers … its that simple. I would much rather walk with a dog and than human! (lol)