Daily Mail: Dog owners are more active than others

Health and Medical

NEW YORK [Reuters Health] – Dog owners spend about 300 minutes walking with their dogs a week, about 200 minutes more than those who do not have dogs, according to a recent scientific study published by The Daily Mail Web site, led by British researchers.

Hundreds of families in the Liverpool community participated in the study, and researchers found that dog owners reported not walking without their dogs, suggesting that walking with dogs was not the only source of exercise.

The researchers also compared some of their findings to dog owners' habits previously discussed in the United States and Australia. For example, 43 percent of US dog owners reported not walking with their dogs because of living abroad.

It is difficult to know whether active people are more likely to own dogs or whether dogs actually increase their exercise, but dog owners are likely to face four times the recommended physical activity – at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week.

[dogs]