Homeless youth with pets are less depressed, Guelph study suggests

A new study suggests that homeless youth who keep pets have lower levels of depression than their counterparts who are without a dog, cat, or even rat by their side.

The study from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph found that homeless youth with pets were three times less likely to be depressed, less likely to engage in potentially harmful behaviours like hard drug use and more likely to open up to veterinarians about their personal challenges.

The study looked at 198 street youth in four cities – Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, and Hamilton – who were in shelters and drop-in centres. Among the study's participants, 100 didn't have pets and 98 did.

The results match a similar study from California and studies on the benefits of pet ownership on the health of seniors who live alone, for instance.