When choosing a place to live, most folks want to find a neighborhood that is safe, but that’s not always easy to determine. Well, if you believe a new study, all you need to do is look and see how many people in the neighborhood have dogs.
A new study out of Columbus, Ohio finds that neighborhoods with more dogs seem to have lower crime rates, including lower homicide and robbery rates, and even somewhat lower aggravated assaults than those with fewer dogs. But it’s not because the dogs act like some sort of deterrent. It’s actually because with residents having to walk their dogs, it puts more “eyes on the street," making it less likely crimes will occur.
“People walking their dogs are essentially patrolling their neighborhoods,” Nicolo Pinchak, lead author of the study, shares. “They see when things are not right, and when there are suspect outsiders in the area. It can be a crime deterrent.”
But the study notes this is particularly true in areas where there is a high amount of trust between neighbors. Neighborhoods with high levels of trust tend to have lower crime rates anyway, but when those neighborhoods have a high concentration of dogs there is an even bigger drop in crime, compared to those neighborhoods without as many pooches.
Having more dogs also help decrease property-related crimes like burglaries. The study others suggest it’s because barking and the sight of dogs will keep criminals away.
Source: Ohio State News
photo: Getty Images