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Megan Hinerman, center, walks DaVinci as part
of the Central Missouri Humane Society's Walk
a Hound, Lose a Pound program. DaVinci is a
10-month-old basset mix. Parker Michels-Boyce photo
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Fido Helps Humans Fight Fat
By Kelsey Jackson
Participants in a program at the University of Missouri-Columbia hope to bring new meaning to the “Dog Days of Summer.” The program, “Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound,” will tackle two societal problems simultaneously, obesity and unwanted pets. The program encourages people to exercise while also providing much needed attention to shelter dogs.
“Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound” meets on Saturdays at a local trail near the Central Missouri Humane Society. Participating adults and families are partnered with shelter dogs. Shelter dogs participating in the walks are selected by shelter staff based on adoptability, amicability, and ability to be walked. The program mirrors one that started in Texas several years ago and is occurring in other cities in the United States.
“We hope that the program will encourage people to be more active and, at the same time, give shelter dogs the exercise that they need,” said Rebecca Johnson, director of the Research Center on Human Animal Interaction at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Additionally, we hope that the program will help meet animal shelter needs, by encouraging people to adopt pets.”
As obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S., there is greater need for unique programs that encourage people to get active. Research shows that people benefit when they walk dogs to lose weight and maintain active lifestyles, Johnson said.
Studies also have shown that positive interaction with dogs can change human body chemistry and enhance a person’s physical well being. Simply having a dog encourages people to walk the dog and leads to weight loss. Researchers also are studying how dog interaction affects mood, perception of health, and sense of coherence among cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Other projects are determining how pet attachment enhances the health and well being among elders with different ethnicities, and how pets can help older adults relocate to a nursing home.
The program is encouraging
people to exercise while providing much needed attention
to shelter dogs. Rebecca Johnson photo
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“This program will help people see that we really do have an overpopulation problem. It also gives us an opportunity to educate potential owners about responsible pet ownership,” said Heather Duren, shelter relations coordinator and volunteer with Columbia Second Chance.
Johnson, who is also the Millsap Professor of Gerontological Nursing at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, will use the program in a research study as she measures weight, blood pressure, mood and self-perceived health before and after the program. The findings could help other communities tailor similar programs to achieve maximum effectiveness.
“We anticipate that there will be weight loss and an increase in physical activity outside of the weekly dog walks among those who participate in the study,” Johnson said. “We also will monitor dog adoption rates at the three local animal shelters before and after implementation of the project. Similar projects have been conducted in Indianapolis and Lubbock with favorable outcomes in people and in shelter adoption rates.”
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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