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Comment by jlg23 | Hacker News Reader

They have. Having to walk them turns every couch potato into someone who is spending, depending on size & agility of the dog, 30min to 2h outdoors , walking. Every single day.

They also tend to pester you for food or walks roughly at the same times every day, so, no matter how irregular your lifestyle was, there suddenly is a wireless alarm clock all day. Every single day. (Kids are much better at this, though).

In the EU and US at least, you can get this all for free: Sign up as a volunteer at the next animal shelter, commit to walking one of their dogs twice a day, 7 days a week :)

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Isn't that only people who have a dog in an apartment? For people who have a house with a backyard the dog walks and runs around in the backyard. Growing up at least that was the norm in my neighborhood. Lots of neighbors and us included had a dog, rarely saw people walking them. We played with our dogs often as kids but taking them for a walk was rare.

This is purely anecdotal and dependent on location/neighborhood. In my suburban ‘hood with white picket fences, you see people walking dogs everyday - and we’re not an exactly good example of a walkable neighborhood.

Kinda, my family dog lives on a farm and has free reign (eg, no fenced backyard). He just goes in and out as he pleases, but he still gets super excited when you take him for a walk.

It's so true. Without dog I'd probably spend most of my free time sitting on the couch playing games/ watching TV. But now I'm "forced" to go for at least one long walk, no matter the weather :).

Additionally coming home and having someone who's happy to see you helps forget about all the work-induced stress.

So the question the, becomes - if you own a dog, but someone else in the family walks/feeds it - are there any health benefits?

If not, you have a study showing that 'Dog ownership promotes regular healthy walking'.

I think that commenters are assuming that dog walking is the benefit.

That’s a factor, but a few studies have shown association with a dog in a household (not ownership) has positive effect.

Companionship is a key factor with dogs and a key deficiency in many people. The human-dog relationship is unique because we snap into the dogs innate pack structure. Dogs want to take care of us, and that brings joy.

I’ve seen it with elderly folks and my own son. Our family dog made herself my son’s training wheels when he was learning to walk.

This is true, but your experience isn't mutually exclusive with my statement. People who are destitute often don't have the resources to keep a healthy dog. You are, as I imagine (and please correct me if I am wrong) well off and can afford to spend 30min - 2 hours a day walking your dog.

Does the person in question spend 30min-2hrs a day watching TV?

I am working 40h/week as a software developer for a non-profit... Whether I spend 6h/day thinking hard about problems[1] at my desk or on the sofa or while walking a dog makes no difference w.r.t. but a lot for health and general well-being.

[1] I vehemently believe in the "80% thinking, 10% cooding, 10% testing" idea of software development.

> Having to walk them turns every couch potato into someone who is spending, depending on size & agility of the dog, 30min to 2h outdoors , walking. Every single day.

You have a wildly optimistic view of the average dog owner's level of responsibility and proactive care.

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