How We Live Dog people meet other people.

Sparky and Debbie sharing some jammie time at an airbnb last weekend.

There are some things science simply cannot explain. There is science that measures that pet owners have better physical and mental health, increased self esteem and better sleep. There are other studies that show that pet owners are more likely to be lonely and depressed, to have more asthma, obesity, and high blood pressure, and to use more medicine. In our house the unscientific evidence is unequivocal. Our dog Sparky brings delight into our lives. One of the biggest joys is that he gets us outside. Every day we're home we bring him to Highland Park so that he can run in the woods. Being in the woods regularly keeps us in touch with nature, with the ever-changing seasons.

Walking in a park gives you a chance to meet other people who like to get outside. Image via Friends of Greenfield Highland Park

And walking a dog gives us the chance to meet people we otherwise might not meet. 20 years ago we met two guys in the park who we now call old friends. Both of the dogs we were walking then have died, but our friendships have matured into family-like closeness. We've met an opera singer we didn't know was a neighbor. We've met a middle-school drama teacher who shared on-the-ground reporting on the challenges faced by today's kids. We've met an amateur botanist who showed us wild foods we didn't know about. And in a couple of weeks we're driving a new friend we met in the same park to a medical appointment near Boston. And while she's with her doctor we'll get to take her dog and Sparky on a walk in a new park. Article: The Benefits of Owning a Pet – and the Surprising Science Behind It Related Article: Competitive, Warm and Conservative: What Exactly Makes Someone a Dog Person?