Walking Your Dog Adds Up to Two Million Steps Per Year
If you’re a dog owner, feel free to give yourself a pat on the back. Aside from years of companionship and fun, you’re also setting yourself up for some great health benefits — dog-walking benefits, to be specific. According to a recent study out of the UK, you’re probably getting a lot more of those than you’d ever imagine — and you’ll want to remember them the next time you go back and forth with your husband about whose turn it is to walk the dog!
The February 2018 study of 2,000 dog owners, conducted by Harringtons Pet Food and dog experts, found that the average dog owner walks his or her dog a whopping 1,000 miles per year. That number is pretty impressive, but it’s even more jaw-dropping when you consider how many steps that is. Consider this: Walking a mile alone yields an average of 2,000 steps. If you multiply that by 1,000, you get a whopping 2 million steps per year — and that’s just from walking your pup! Totally worth having to hear all those begging noises your pup makes to go walking in the first place, right?
But getting the chance to walk more with your four-legged friend is only the beginning of the many dog-walking benefits covered in this study. The average dog owner also gets the chance to play fetch with his or her pup 2,080 times per year — yet another very active experience — and the opportunity to have 1,040 conversations with other dog walkers while out and about.
“For dog owners, going out for a walk is one of the main perks of owning a pet,” a spokesman for Harringtons said. “It’s staggering to think just how far you walk, and how many times you will play fetch over the course of a year. While a walk is necessary to keep your pet fit and healthy, it’s also a great opportunity to bond with your dog, away from the chores and your busy day-to-day lives.”
Anyone else feeling the sudden urge to take Fido out for a stroll right about now?
Next, learn more reasons why dogs are so good for your health in the video below:
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