Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

There are benefits to having a dog, and my wife and I have experienced those benefits for many years.

That’s because we have had two dogs, both miniature poodles, and, in both cases, our lives were better because of the companions.

So it was that I borrowed the sense of this blog headline from the New York Times as a reporter there wrote under this specific headline:  Get a Dog, Live Longer?

Here is how the story started:

“Research suggests pets keep you healthier.  But there are some caveats.

“As a child, Dr. Dhruv Kazi was obsessed with dogs.  As a cardiologist and health economist, he wrote about their health benefits.  But he didn’t get one of his own until his early 40s.

“In 2019, he moved to Boston to take a job as the director of the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  Then Covid hit.  Living alone and working in the intensive care unit, Dr. Kazi said the first year of the pandemic was ‘immensely isolating.’

“Everything changed in 2021 when he got Rumi, a high-energy, high-affection vizsla puppy.  Thanks to Rumi, Dr. Kazi started spending more time outside, got to know his neighbors and had a much-needed dose of ‘positive energy’ and ‘goofiness’ injected into his life.”

Dr. Kazi now says the dog played a crucial in keeping his sanity.

The Times writer goes on to say that research suggests dogs and other pets keep a person healthier.

“Studies show that having a pet is associated with lower blood pressure, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and lower rates of death after a heart attack or stroke.  And a large review of studies published in 2019 found that owning a dog was associated with a 24 per cent lower risk of dying from all causes over the course of 10 years.

“The potential benefit is striking enough  when it comes to heart health that the American Heart Association even has a scientific statement devoted to it, declaring that dog ownership may be reasonable for reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.”

Regarding caveats, two come to mind.  First, there are costs to owing a dog – costs such as routine vet bills.  You also have to plan for your pets if you travel, sometimes taking them with you; other times arranging for their care while you are gone.

But the caveats don’t bother me.

As for our two dogs:

First, Hogan, a miniature poodle, gave us a lot of joy.  Then, after he went to heaven, we got another miniature from the same breeder who gave us Hogan.  In other words, they were related in some way as the breeder kept true to her line.

So, continuing to employ golf logic [my favorite sport is golf], we named the new dog, Callaway. 

Whatever is the case, Hogan first and now Callaway have been part of our family for many years.  And that is true – they are part of our family.  We wouldn’t be the same without them.

So, call my wife and me dog lovers.  We love the title, considering it an accolade.