Introduction

There are many researches that have pointed towards the fact that having a pet can greatly improve social health. Baron et al. stated that pets, most specifically dogs and cats, increase social interaction, decrease loneliness, and enhance general social well-being. Thus, this paper reviews literature and evidence in the contemporary scholarly literature to consider these benefits.

Methodology

Sources that provided the information for this research include scientific articles obtained from social sciences and psychology databases, social well-being surveys, and pet owners’ interviews. The design intended to achieve the following goals: This focused the design on fulfilling the objectives of conducting a large-scale systematization of the literature with definitive conclusions regarding the social aspects of pet ownership.

Findings

1. Enhanced Social Interactions

Research by the Journal of Social Psychology: People with pets, especially dogs, have increased chances of having interactions since pet care requires them to walk or go to areas that are friendly to pets. These interactions usually extend to other people who, in turn, become friends with the pet owner and thus increase their social circle (Journal of Social Psychology, 2021, Social Interactions and Pet Ownership).

Study by the American Sociological Association: This type of community has active members in social events as well as other activities in the society due to owning of pets. These also bring about the feelings of membership and inclusion in the society (American Sociological Association, 2020, Community Engagement and Pet Ownership).