McGee is a therapy dog who enjoys visiting a very young guy named George who’s been recuperating from drastic diaphragm surgery in a London hospital for a very long time. George always looks forward to McGee’s visits because interacting with him makes him happy and takes his mind off of his extended hospital stay.
George is blissfully unaware that the reason he feels so happy is the soothing hormone oxytocin is released when he pets McGee. Oxytocin is also released when a mother breast feeds her baby. That same contented and happy feeling is also achieved by simply petting a dog. All George knows is, he likes McGee and McGee likes him.
People tend to live longer if they own dogs. Individuals with high blood pressure, a stressful job or an illness would be well served by interacting with a nicely behaved dog. People who interact regularly with their friends of the canine variety are also much less likely to have a heart than those who don’t have a dog friend.
The great thing is, the dog also receives the benefit of cuddling with a human. When petted or cuddled, a dog’s blood pressure goes down and oxytocin is released as well. What could be better than bonding with a dog who enjoys your company while both parties get a huge benefit from the relationship. When you think about it, it’s just great to have a dog around who doesn’t care about your financial status or how thin you are.