Every pet parent will emphatically tell you that they absolutely love their pets, and that having their fur babies in their lives inherently makes them better. Pets are always there with a loving paw whenever we are feeling down, and while they may not be able to respond, they are fabulous listeners.

It truly makes them the best companions. However, study results over the years have yielded a mixed bag of findings. Some studies show that pets improve our lives, while others show the opposite. But one study conducted in Canada discovered something completely different.

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Do Dogs Make Us Happy?

Scientists Catherine E. Amoit, Christopher Gagne, and Brock Bastian studied pet owners in Canada over the pandemic, and what they discovered was truly shocking. The study group consisted of 2,424 adults, comprising 1,220 pet owners and 1,204 non-pet owners.

Oddly enough, the pet owners reported lower overall well-being than non-pet owners. “When comparing pet and non-pet owners in terms of their psychological well-being, we found that pet owners reported lower psychological well-being on four of the well-being measures (i.e., lower vitality, life satisfaction, presence of life meaning, but higher loneliness),” the study reported. “Furthermore, pet owners reported experiencing more COVID-related impacts compared to non-pet owners. These findings suggest pet ownership during a stressful event like COVID may bring added stress to an already challenging context. “

The researchers dug a little deeper, examining the types of pets the study participants owned. Not shockingly, dog owners came back as the pet owners with the highest well-being. I have one of each, so I can completely understand how, during pandemic conditions, it is more comforting to have a dog by your side than a cat. While I love my girl to death, I sometimes feel like she would trade me in for a quality snack, whereas my dog looks to me for his next snack constantly.

The study attributed it to the dog’s ability to “elicit physical outdoor activity and social interactions with fellow humans, within the limits imposed during the pandemic.”

The researchers’ primary focus was on examining socioeconomic status to determine whether it had a negative impact on pet owners. Indeed, many of the pet owners who reported lower overall well-being were either unemployed, female, or had two children in the house.

While numerous studies have examined the extent to which our pets truly make us happy, this is the first to investigate how socioeconomic factors influence the overall equation, amid the added pressure of an unprecedented pandemic. Of course, this is an extreme assessment of pet ownership. But it does lay the groundwork for other factors to be considered in future studies.

Related: TikTok’s Latest Trend Shows Cats Do Not Think We Are Funny

This story was originally reported by Parade Pets on Oct 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.