Are Kids Who Grow Up With Dogs Healthier?

by Heisenberg Posted 2012/07/10 18:00:00

Related Topics: Pets, Lifestyle, Dogs, Baby, Healthier, Kids, News, Dog, Kid, Ear, Strong, Homes, Infant, Infection, Cat, babies, cats, Symptoms, Infections

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	Yes	260 votes	82%
	No	59 votes	18%

According to a new study, if your child grows up with a pup around, he or she is less likely to develop colds and ear infections as an infant. Are kids who grow up with dogs healthier?

CBSNEWS.COM reports:
Babies born in homes with cats also showed a protective benefit against respiratory symptoms, though not as strong

+30

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aad312 2012/07/10 22:48:21

No

+12
>> See Replies

More polls by Heisenberg

Daedalus 2012/07/11 13:51:15

Yes

+5
Woof!

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Moonage 2012/07/11 13:29:37

Yes

+1
Other than the kids that are killed by dogs, of course.

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Ray the Dog! 2012/07/11 13:23:23

Yes

+4
Physically(as this study in common with others indicates)- and also mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well, in my opinion

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ALL_BAND_FAN 2012/07/11 13:18:59

Yes

+1
i had a cat sleep with me in my crib every night when i was a baby and now i'm not allergic to cats. allergic to dogs though and several other things but i feel it's still good for kids to grow up around pets. it teaches them to respect life other than humans and to be gentle with them.

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bluelady 2012/07/11 13:03:51 (edited)

Yes

+1
I believe thats right... a dog gets the immune system going...plus the mind set of the child is improved and that helps the overall health..the whole body/person is helped
that lead picture of the yellow lab with the baby is heartbreaking...I lost my girl 12/31 and I still feel sad when I see pics of yellows her being silly

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baboula 2012/07/11 12:58:05

Yes

+2
I did and I was

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SOUL4REAL 2012/07/11 12:34:10

Yes

+1
Yes, the baby will also have a friend for life!

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L1 2012/07/11 12:23:27

No

+2
Not all have dogs that are family friendly and some kids have allergies...

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Gordon 2012/07/11 12:13:55

Yes

+4
Dogs are a terrific source of unconditional love, and love makes most anybody feel better.

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♥Gabs1697♥ 2012/07/11 10:11:19

Yes

+3
https://lh6.googleusercontent...

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bi five 2012/07/11 10:04:53
Lyana 2012/07/11 08:01:23

Yes

+1
Unless they're allergic of course XD hahaha

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LUFXIII 2012/07/11 07:53:58

No

+2
i dnt thnk so

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MadWorld 2012/07/11 07:24:57

No

+3
i don like dogs at allllllllllllll

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Maryam 2012/07/11 06:48:13

No

+2
I don't think so,sometimes dogs can be harmful!!

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Kurbdog 2012/07/11 06:26:40

Yes

+2
Animals in general ........not just dogs!

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mrdog 2012/07/11 06:15:59

Yes

+2
Of course I am bias on this question....but no doubt kids need a best friend...bark

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Fariborz-Zak 2012/07/11 05:16:15

No

+3
NOWAY dogs r contaminated

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Anna 2012/07/11 05:12:27

Yes

+2
I became a lot healthier once I got a dog. I play more, have to take her on walks, romp in the mud an expose myself to more things, thus beefing up my immune system. Plus they can also be a stress relief. All adds up to being healthier and happier.

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Skye 2012/07/11 04:42:22

Yes

+1
Sure :)

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~HopelessRomanticM17~ 2012/07/11 04:32:28

No

+3
I was a very healthy child...and I have never had a dog.

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Maryam to ~Hopele... 2012/07/11 06:49:49

+2
yup!! me too :)

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glass_butterfly ~YSU~ 2012/07/11 04:29:00

Yes

+3
I loved growing up with my dog. I don't know if it made me any healthier than the kid without a pet but it sure did make me happier. Taught me how to treat animals, responsibility, and unconditional love.

And now I see that with my nephew and my dog. He's almost two and loves that dog to death, he loves running around with her and most of all hugging her. This is my nephew Cale hugging my dog Stella whether she wants it or not! LOL... she's so patient with him!

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Muver 2012/07/11 04:05:23

Yes

+1
Unless they have really severe allergies...but the benefit of a pet is great in many ways...
Severe allergy homes are likely to get dogs that are hypoallergenic...

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snell PWCM/AVA~GOD & COUNTR... 2012/07/11 03:53:52

Yes

+1
I DON'T KNOW ...... really - but that one sure is cute. However i guess since you asked
i will add that it stands to reason the more 'common' germs a kid is exposed to the less to worry about later.

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BigFig#9 2012/07/11 02:29:06

Yes

+2
Always great to have a dog or a cat who give unqualified love when no matter what we parents try to do, we sometimes fail at that unqualified love' thing.

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realist 2012/07/11 02:25:20

Yes

+1
This is fairly dependent on a number of other factors such as what exactly the dog is causing the child to be exposed to, and what allergies the child has genetically; that said *generally* the more exposed they are to light amounts of irritants which don't seriously impact their health, the more resilient they are going to be.

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Pedalpusher 2012/07/11 02:23:55

Yes

+1
Our son was a premee we've always had at least one mostly two dogs and although we had a rough first 7 years and he's had a functional heart problem all his life, he's now 51 years old, 6'4", and he has always had pets ever since he left the house. Our daughters have been healthy too.

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keeper 2012/07/11 02:22:07

Yes

+1
Not only kids, but adults too...

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Curmudgeon 2012/07/11 02:05:14

No

+2
I'm not sure about these kinds of studies, I've seen polls that say that people with cats earn over $60,000 a year, I've seen studies that say that coffee is good for you only to have another study come out the next week saying it's not.

I've seen another study done a while back that found that over 40% of studies are done with loaded questions so as to get the answers the people doing the poll want. So, it's anyone's guess.

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Man_Bea... to Curmudgeon 2012/07/12 04:42:50

Yes polls especially can be unreliable in a lot of cases. And not to long ago, people thought that sun bathing was good for you. And then eggs were supposed to be bad for you (cholesterol) but now it's the incredible edible egg. It makes you wonder what's next.

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Maxine 2012/07/11 01:51:13

Yes

+1
I am an only child and my pets were my brohers/sisters and best friends. They still are.

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Maxine to Maxine 2012/07/11 01:55:39

+1
They take dogs to convelsant hospitals to visit older people and it helps them.

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brittany 2012/07/11 01:40:29

No

+2
i have no idea about that. if its true. thats an interesting fact.

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S.H 2012/07/11 01:26:31

Yes

+1
Think so, not sure about the cold thing but there are many ways it can be an advantage physically.

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Ken 2012/07/11 01:17:13

No

+1
no

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the judgebigdogeagle 2012/07/11 01:04:04

Yes

+2
and prevents high blood pressure

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TheCouchF*cker 2012/07/11 00:46:28

No

+2
I say this only because the study has only noticed a trend so far. Interesting data, to be sure, but they need to do more work before they conclusively say if it has anything to do with the pets or it was coincidence.

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jman1248 2012/07/11 00:18:21 (edited)

Yes

+2
maturedly,and emotionaly they are too.ive had several family pets and most recently i have one that is mine and that i actually take care of(slimjim the dog) and ithas matured me, to take care of another living thing .and my dog is always happy to see me, which effectively perks up my day. also dogs have been known to help defeat depression.

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gocar 2012/07/10 23:47:30

Yes

+1
Yes I believe children raised with a dog are less likely to have allergies and should learn that animals need care .

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