Some believe growing old can be a little less lonely with a pet. Quite often, Grandma or Grandpa will decide to get a dog for their loyal companionship and added safety. On the surface, this sounds like a win-win scenario, especially when adopting from an animal shelter. After a thorough review of census and accident data by three independent organizations, “Fido” has been killing senior citizens at an alarming rate. Over the last decade alone, canine-initiated deaths have risen 3,000 percent.
The University of Ambridge, Baldwen University, and Mackaw Research Center each reached this same conclusion in their independent studies. “Rarely does data agree so conclusively across the board, but dogs are killing old people more and more! I made my Grandmother take her Princess back to the pound. I did not want to wake up one day with the news that she’d become one of the negative statistics I had been studying,” said Wanda Wilington, of Baldwen University.
The universities and research center have formed a public policy group to inform senior care groups, animal shelters, and governments of the risks associated with elderly dog ownership. John McKantil added, “Whether it’s trip and fall, sleep affixation, or the animals just developing a taste for the geriatric, people must know the real risks.”