Why do some dogs live longer? ASU runs study exploring how a dog's environment affects life

The relationship a dog builds with their owners and how much money their owner makes can make them live longer, research out of Arizona State University says.

Researchers have been running a study exploring how different environmental factors affect dogs' age. According to the study, worked on by ASU graduate student Layla Brassington and Ph.D. student Bri McCoy, the study included more than 21,000 owners and their dogs. Associate professor at the Center for Evolution and Medicine Noah Snyder-Mackler led the study in collaboration with Brassington and McCoy for the last four years.

“It’s been a lot of hard work from myself and the other graduate student of the project, Bri,” Brassington said. “Noah guided us throughout the whole thing, but I had never done data analysis before.”

Factors that researchers looked at during the study included neighborhood stability, total household income, and other factors.

“The goal is to understand: what are the things that matter to a dog's health and well-being,” Snyder-Mackler said.

Quality time over quantity helps dogs live longer

The researchers found that not only did a dog's age and weight affect their health, but also the environment that the dog lives in.

“Financial and household adversity were linked to poorer health and reduced physical mobility while more social companionship with humans and other dogs was associated with better health,” according to the study.

Having a strong social relationship with humans for dogs was found important, and especially a relationship that focuses on quality instead of quantity. Researchers found a negative correlation between the number of kids in a house with a dog's overall health.

“We found that time with children actually had a detrimental effect on dog health,” Brassington said. “More children or time that owners dedicate to their children likely leads to less time with their furry children.”

Better access to care matters for humans and dogs

Moreover, similarly to humans, money plays a role.

Researchers found that dogs who live in wealthier homes have better access to medical care, more frequent vet visits, and additional testing. These factors combine to allow dogs to have a better and more precise diagnosis.

“The take-home message is: Having a good network, having a good social connectedness is good for the dogs that are living with us,” McCoy said.

The future of the Dog Aging Project

The survey of 21,000 dogs was a collaboration between various institutions across the United States with ASU being a member university. The Dog Aging Project is the name of the collaboration and more than 45,000 dogs are enrolled in the project.

Professor Daniel Promislow from the University of Washington is the co-director of the Dog Aging Project and one of the original founders. His goal is to involve the public in the process of science. He has also worked in collaboration with Snyder-Mackler since 2018.

“I love the idea of doing science with the public,” Promislow said. “It’s made possible because of the generosity of the participating dog owners who themselves are helping us do science.”

Snyder-Mackler said there are future plans for this research.

“We now want to understand how these external factors are getting under the skin to affect the dog’s health," Snyder-Mackler said. "How is the environment altering their bodies and cells?"

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Do richer dogs live longer? ASU studies dogs environment and lifespan