The Science of Why 86% of Aussie Pet Owners Say Their Pet Makes Them Happier and Healthier.

Quick answer: Yes, pets are associated with measurable improvements in mental health for many Australians. The strongest evidence shows that interacting with a dog or cat for as little as ten minutes can lower the stress hormone cortisol, that pet owners are at reduced risk of depression and cardiovascular death, and that 86% of Australian pet owners say their pet has a positive impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. Pets are not a cure for anxiety or depression, and they don't replace therapy, but more than a hundred peer-reviewed studies now point to a real, repeatable "pet effect" on the human nervous system. This article unpacks that science in plain English and offers practical daily rituals to build the bond.

It's a Wednesday night in Brisbane. The kettle is on, the news is grim, and there on the rug is a kelpie cross with one paw flopped over a chewed tennis ball, completely indifferent to interest rates and to the latest Beyond Blue Wellbeing Check. You sit down on the floor. The kelpie sighs the way only dogs can sigh. Your shoulders drop about a centimetre.

Most Australians who live with a pet know that feeling. They just don't always have the language for it. So when the question comes up, are pets actually good for our mental health, or do we just like to think so?, the answer matters, because three-quarters of us are now sharing the couch with one.

This is the long answer. It draws on more than a hundred peer-reviewed studies, the largest pet-ownership cohort ever published (3.4 million Swedes), the most comprehensive Australian pet survey ever conducted, and a 2024 JAMA paper on service dogs and veterans that even the most cautious sceptic struggles to argue with. Every claim below is sourced to a named, public authority, cited inline and listed in full at the end, because mental health is too important for wishful thinking. Here is what we know, and what we're still figuring out.

Do pets actually reduce anxiety? What the science says

Short answer: yes, and the effect is measurable in your bloodstream within minutes.

In 2019, researchers at Washington State University ran a clean experiment. They split 249 university students into four groups. One group spent ten minutes petting cats and dogs. Another watched other students pet cats and dogs. A third looked at photos of the animals. A fourth was put on a waitlist with no animal contact at all. The researchers measured salivary cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, before and after.

The result wasn't subtle. The group that physically interacted with the animals had a significant reduction in cortisol compared with all three other groups. Looking at a photo didn't do it. Watching someone else pet a dog didn't do it. Touching the animal did.

The cortisol and oxytocin response, explained

If the Pendry paper showed the effect, an earlier South African study by Odendaal and Meintjes showed the mechanism, and it is genuinely beautiful. After just five to twenty-four minutes of stroking a dog, the researchers measured significant increases in beta-endorphin, oxytocin, prolactin, phenylethylamine and dopamine, in both the human and the dog. Cortisol dropped in the humans. The bond, in other words, is biochemical, and at least partly mutual.

This is what clinicians mean when they talk about co-regulation, two nervous systems quietly settling each other through proximity and touch. It's the same mechanism that calms a baby in a parent's arms. With a pet, the wiring is just a little different, and, for many adults, a little less complicated.

What Australian research found in 2025

The 2025 Animal Medicines Australia "Pets in Australia" survey, the country's most comprehensive pet-ownership study, surveyed more than 2,000 households and produced a figure that bears repeating:

Eighty-six per cent. In a country where, according to Beyond Blue's most recent Wellbeing Check, 46% of Australians named financial pressure as a key factor in their distress, and almost half of those who sought professional support waited until they were "very" or "extremely" distressed before reaching out, that number is not a marketing slogan. It's a public-health signal.

For context: that's more dogs (around 7.4 million) than there are children under fifteen in this country. Whatever else is happening in Australian homes, this much is true, we live with animals at a scale our grandparents would not recognise.

How pets help with anxiety: 5 mechanisms backed by science

"The pet effect" sounds like one thing. It is actually at least five things, each with its own body of evidence. Understanding the mechanisms matters because it shows you how to get the benefit, and how to recognise when you're not.

1. Hormonal regulation (oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine)

This is the chemistry already covered above. Touch, eye contact and proximity drive a measurable cocktail of feel-good neurochemicals while suppressing cortisol. The US National Institutes of Health summarises the converging evidence plainly: "Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure." It happens whether you are aware of it or not.

2. Routine and purpose

Dogs, in particular, do not care about your sleep-in. The 6:30am breakfast bowl, the morning lead, the after-dinner stroll, these are the unglamorous, irreducible rituals that anchor a day. For people experiencing low mood, depression or grief, an external reason to get out of bed is not a small thing.

The 2018 Brooks et al. Systematic review in BMC Psychiatry, pooling 17 studies of people with long-term mental health conditions, found pets provided "emotional work": alleviating worry, imposing routine, and acting as a confidant. Participants repeatedly described their pet as the reason they kept going.

3. Social connection and reduced loneliness

Loneliness in Australia is now a measurable epidemic. Ending Loneliness Together reports that around 32% of Australian adults experience at least moderate loneliness, and 17.5% experience severe loneliness. Those numbers carry health risks comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Pets help in two ways. First, directly, a 2022 systematic review by Kretzler and colleagues found pet ownership was associated with reduced loneliness in some studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, with mixed effects across different age groups. Second, indirectly, dog walking, dog parks, vet waiting rooms and accidental footpath conversations are some of the last reliable third spaces in suburban Australia.

4. Physical activity (especially dog walking)

Exercise is the most reliably effective non-pharmaceutical antidepressant we have. And dog owners get more of it. Harvard Health notes dog owners walk about 20 extra minutes per day compared with non-owners. Over a year, that's around 120 extra hours of walking, without ever joining a gym.

The cardiovascular flow-on is significant. In a 2017 study of 3.4 million Swedes over twelve years, the largest pet-ownership cohort ever assembled, single-person households with a dog had a 33% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 36% reduction in cardiovascular death compared with single-person households without one.

A 2019 meta-analysis pooled this with other large cohorts (combined sample: 3.8 million people) and reached a near-identical conclusion: dog owners had 24% lower all-cause mortality and 31% lower cardiovascular mortality. The American Heart Association's 2013 Scientific Statement already concluded that "dog ownership is probably associated with decreased cardiovascular risk", about as enthusiastic as the AHA ever gets about something that isn't a statin.

5. Mindfulness and present-moment focus

This one rarely shows up in the medical literature but every long-term pet owner recognises it. A dog or cat lives in the present. They do not catastrophise about Thursday. They cannot doomscroll. When you give a pet your attention, they pull you, gently, into the same state, what therapists call grounding.

It's a quiet, accidental form of mindfulness practice, and it happens dozens of times a day. (We unpack it in detail in our companion piece, Mindfulness tips with pets and ponies, a slower, gentler read for the weekend.)

Do pets help with depression?

This is where the evidence becomes more nuanced, and where honest writing matters more than enthusiasm.

What the meta-analyses show

A 2024 meta-analysis of pet ownership and depression found pet owners had a lower risk of depression compared with non-owners, with the strongest effects observed in adults living alone. The proposed pathways are the same five mechanisms above: routine, exercise, oxytocin, reduced loneliness, and a sense of purpose.

The 2018 BMC Psychiatry review is even more striking. It pooled qualitative interviews from hundreds of people living with long-term mental health conditions, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia. PTSD, and the pattern was overwhelming. Participants described their pet as a steady, non-judgemental presence; a reason to get out of bed; a buffer during crisis. One participant put it this way: "Without him. I think I'd be dead."

When pets aren't enough: professional support pathways

And yet, pets are not antidepressants. They are not a substitute for therapy, medication, or a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP. Almost half of Australians who sought professional support (49%) waited until they were "very" or "extremely" distressed before doing so, according to Beyond Blue. The single most useful thing a pet can sometimes do is make that first phone call feel marginally less impossible. It is not their job to make the call for you.

If you live with depression, anxiety or PTSD, your pet is part of the team. The vet, your GP, a psychologist, and, when you need them. Lifeline and Beyond Blue are the rest of it.

Are dogs or cats better for mental health?

The short, honest answer: the best pet is the one that fits your life. Both species produce measurable benefits in the studies. The differences are mostly about lifestyle, energy, and the kind of bond you're after.

Dogs: the social and active benefits

If your mental health challenge involves isolation, low motivation or low activity, dogs are the more clinically supported choice. The cardiovascular cohort data is overwhelmingly dog-led. So is the loneliness research. And so is the service-dog work in PTSD.

Cats: the calm, low-effort benefits

If your challenge involves overwhelm, sensory load or unpredictable energy, and the idea of a 6am dog walk in winter rain makes things worse, not better, cats are a serious, science-backed option. The Pendry cortisol study included both species, and a purring cat on your chest delivers a parasympathetic-nervous-system signal that's hard to argue with. (For the cat owners reading: gentle, daily bonding moments matter for them too, small treats made for cats are part of how that ritual gets built.)

(We won't pretend horses, rabbits, guinea pigs and budgies don't count, they do. Equine-assisted therapy in particular has its own growing evidence base, which is why we make treats for horses too. But the largest body of research, by far, sits with dogs and cats.)

Pets and mental health across life stages (Australia)

Children and teen anxiety

For children, the benefits run deeper than companionship. A 2017 review by Purewal et al. in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found strong evidence that growing up with a pet supported higher self-esteem, reduced loneliness, better perspective-taking and stronger cognitive development.

More recently, the US Mueller et al. (2024) analysis of the ABCD longitudinal study found that during the pandemic, pets emerged as one of the most-cited coping strategies for adolescents, and that teens who turned to their pets reported higher self-esteem and lower loneliness than peers who didn't.

There's also a striking long-tail finding. A 2019 Johns Hopkins study by Yolken et al. reported that children exposed to a household dog before age 13 had a significantly reduced risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life. The mechanism is still being investigated, early immune development, stress-response calibration and the gut-brain microbiome are all candidates, but the association is robust.

Adults and the millennial mental health story

Beyond Blue's most recent Wellbeing Check makes clear that Australians of all ages are struggling. Forty-six per cent named financial pressure as a key factor in their distress, and almost half of those who sought help waited until they were "very" or "extremely" distressed before reaching out.

It is no accident that this is also the generation driving Australia's pet boom. Pet ownership in this age group is not a substitute for the housing market or for a functional mental-health system, but it is one of the few accessible, non-pharmaceutical interventions that delivers a daily, low-friction emotional dividend.

Older Australians and the loneliness epidemic

For older adults, pets do two things at once: they buffer against loneliness, and they appear to support cognition. A 2023 study presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting (Applebaum et al.) found older adults with five or more years of pet ownership experienced slower cognitive decline than non-owners, a finding widely reported by outlets including Mayo Clinic Health System.

Closer to home, the long-running Australian work of economist Bruce Headey has linked pet ownership to fewer doctor visits over time. RSPCA Australia reaches the same conclusion in its knowledgebase: Australians who have owned a pet for five or more years tend to have significantly fewer doctor visits than non-owners.

The surprising strength of the human-animal bond

Service dogs. PTSD and the 2024 JAMA breakthrough

For years, the strongest evidence for the pet effect came from observational studies, large, real-world, and useful, but unable to fully rule out the possibility that healthier people simply tend to own pets in the first place. In 2024, a major controlled trial finally moved the needle.

Leighton. O'Haire and colleagues, publishing in JAMA Network Open, enrolled 156 American military veterans with PTSD in a non-randomised controlled trial. Participants either received a trained service dog or remained on a waitlist with usual care. At three months, the service-dog group had clinician-administered PTSD severity scores about 7 points lower than the waitlist group, and self-reported scores about 11.5 points lower, alongside lower anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p = 0.02) scores.

"Suggests" doesn't quite cover it. These are clinically meaningful differences, in a randomised design, on the most studied trauma population in modern psychiatry. The NIH itself took the unusual step of highlighting the result in a press release.

Australia's quiet revolution in pet therapy

The Australian Veterinary Association has been campaigning for years for the human-animal bond to be taken more seriously inside mainstream health policy. Animal-assisted therapy programs now operate in hospices, aged-care facilities, hospital paediatric wards, schools, and an increasing number of corporate workplaces. Greyhound rescue groups place retired racers as therapy dogs. Therapy ponies are being deployed in disability programs from the Sunshine Coast to Tasmania.

This isn't only about what pets do for us, the relationship runs both ways, and Australia's veterinary scientists are paying attention.

It is not a fringe movement anymore. It is a slow, deliberate shift in how Australian health professionals think about prescribing connection.

How to build daily rituals that calm both of you

The science is the science. But the bond is built in the small, repeated moments. Here are the rituals our team, and the vets we've consulted, keep coming back to.

The 10-minute calm protocol

Set a timer. Phone in another room. Sit on the floor with your dog or cat. Slow, long strokes, head, shoulders, along the spine. No agenda. No training. No "good boy" overlay. Just presence.

This is, almost exactly, the Pendry protocol that produced measurable cortisol reductions. Do it once a day, ideally at the same time, ideally not while scrolling something stressful at the same time.

Positive reinforcement and training routines

Short, calm, reward-based training sessions are one of the most underrated mental-health rituals available to dog owners. Five minutes of "sit", "stay", "touch" or a new trick, rewarded with a high-value micro training treat, activates the same dopamine and bonding pathways for both of you, and gives your dog the cognitive engagement they need to settle for the rest of the day.

The trick is to keep it small, frequent and high-success. Use a quiet space, a high-value treat, and end while your dog is still winning.

Caring for your pet's wellbeing in return

The bond is a two-way street. Anxious, under-stimulated or overweight pets do not co-regulate well, and they are not happy. The basics matter more than the supplements: a balanced diet appropriate for life stage, daily mental and physical stimulation, regular vet check-ups, and, for dogs especially, predictable routines and safe spaces to retreat to. Functional, ingredient-led treats like our grain-free health booster range with turmeric, beetroot and pumpkin, or our hemp and turmeric cookies with omega-3, are designed to slot into that picture rather than replace it.

If your pet is showing signs of anxiety themselves (excessive panting, destructive behaviour, withdrawal, changes in appetite), talk to your vet. Predictable, low-stress mealtimes help too, a sprinkle of meal topper can turn dinner into a small daily ritual rather than a transaction. The same nervous-system principles work in reverse: a calmer human helps a calmer pet, and vice versa.

Frequently asked questions

Can a pet replace therapy?

No. Pets can complement professional mental health care beautifully, but they cannot replace it. If you're experiencing persistent symptoms of anxiety or depression, speak with your GP, a Mental Health Care Plan under Medicare gives you access to subsidised sessions with a psychologist. A pet sitting on your feet during that first appointment is, however, very allowed.

How long do I need to pet my dog to feel calmer?

The Pendry et al. (2019) study found significant cortisol reductions after just ten minutes of physical interaction. Other studies (Odendaal & Meintjes, 2003) showed neurochemical shifts after as little as five minutes. The mechanism appears to require touch, not just looking at, or being near, the animal.

Are emotional support animals recognised in Australia?

Australia does not have the same formal "emotional support animal" (ESA) framework that exists in the United States. Assistance animals trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability are protected under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, but a general pet who provides comfort generally is not. Rules vary across airlines, rental tenancies and public spaces, always check with the specific operator or your tenancy authority before assuming access.

What if I can't afford a pet?

The benefits of human-animal interaction don't require ownership. RSPCA volunteer dog-walking. PetRescue and local shelter programs, neighbour pet-minding, and animal-assisted therapy in many community health settings all offer regular contact without the financial commitment. The Animal Medicines Australia survey puts the average annual cost of a dog in Australia at around $2,520, ownership is a real financial decision, and not the right one for every household.

Australian mental health support resources

If anything in this article has resonated with you and you'd like to talk to someone, these Australian services are free, confidential and available now:

• Lifeline, 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support). lifeline.org.au
• Beyond Blue, 1300 22 4636 (24/7 support for anxiety and depression). beyondblue.org.au
• 13YARN, 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). 13yarn.org.au
• headspace, for young people aged 12-25. headspace.org.au
• MensLine Australia, 1300 78 99 78 (24/7 support for men). mensline.org.au
• ReachOut, online support for young people. au.reachout.com
• batyr, youth mental health peer programs. batyr.com.au
• Your GP, the gateway to a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan and subsidised psychology sessions.

Sources and references

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6. Meta-analysis of pet ownership and depression (2024). PMC
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About this article

This article was written for Huds and Toke, an Australian pet treats company based on the Sunshine Coast since 2007 (and the subject of a Wikipedia entry here). It is published as part of our ongoing commitment to evidence-based pet-owner education during Mental Health Month.

Methodology. The 116-plus studies referenced in our research review were identified through PubMed. Google Scholar, and the published research databases of HABRI, the AVA and the AVMA between January and May 2026. Priority was given to (a) Australian data, (b) peer-reviewed meta-analyses and systematic reviews, (c) large cohort studies, and (d) randomised controlled trials. Animal Medicines Australia's 2025 "Pets in Australia" survey is the primary national dataset cited.

Conflict of interest disclosure. Huds and Toke is an Australian pet treats company. This article was produced for educational purposes and does not make therapeutic claims about our products. Our soft training treats are mentioned in the context of positive, reward-based bonding rituals and are not represented as a treatment, cure or therapy for any human or animal mental health condition.