Agree, you must be healthy enough to walk dog Second result is: They base their conclusion on a large twin study yet conclude that: In conclusion, dog ownership appears to be associated with lower risk of CVD in single-person households and lower mortality in the general population. Their studies involved "with up to 12 years of follow-up," which is the lifespan for many dogs. Is the second point that twin studies do not generalize to single person households and the general population? Hmm...