Owning a dog and going on regular dog walks both have proven health benefits. But a new study suggests that no matter how many times you hear that pounding the pavement with your pup is good exercise， thats ultimately not what gets you （and your four-legged friend） up and moving.

According to research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health， dog owners are motivated to walk their pets because it makes them happy—not for health or social reasons. Also up there on the list of reasons？ They think it makes their dogs happy， too.

The study analyzed interviews and personal written reflections from 26 people about why， exactly， they walk their dogs. While many owners said they do it to benefit their pooch， the researchers say the importance of the owners happiness and well-being was also clear.

But that happiness depends on the owner believing that the dog is enjoying the walk， the researchers noted in their paper. Motivation to walk was decreased when owners had reason to doubt this notion—like when they felt their dog was “lazy”， or “too old” to walk regularly.

The study mainly suggests that dog owners keep doing what theyre doing， since they can still rack up the health benefits of dog-walking even if thats not the primary goal.

Lead author Carri Westgarth， PhD， a research fellow at the University of Liverpool， says she hopes these findings resonate with dog owners and animal lovers. “Dog walking can be really important for our mental health， and there is no joy like seeing your dog having a good time，” she says. “In this age of information and work overload， lets thank our dogs for being such a positive influence on our well-being.”

养狗并定期遛狗已被证实对身体健康有益处。但一项新的研究表明：不管你听过多少次这种说法——和狗一起遛弯是一项很好的锻炼，但是让你（和你四条腿的伙伴）站起来走动的真正原因并不在此。

发表在期刊《国际环境研究和公共卫生》上的研究表明：狗主人遛狗的动机是因为遛狗能使他们自己快乐，而不是因为遛狗有益人体健康或能让他们交到新朋友。还有什么其他的原因呢？他们認为遛狗的时候狗也会感到快乐。

关于为什么要遛狗，研究者采访了26个人，并分析了对这些人的采访内容以及他们的书面反馈意见。虽然很多狗主人说遛狗是为了狗好，但研究人员却表示狗主人为了他们的幸福和健康着想的意图也十分明显。

研究人员在文章中也指出，狗主人的这些快乐感觉基于他们认为狗也享受遛弯。当狗主人怀疑狗是否享受遛弯时，比如狗“懒惰”或者“年纪太大”不能定期遛弯，都会减弱他们遛狗的意愿。

研究主要表明：狗主人会继续做他们正在做的事情，因为遛狗还能有益人体健康，即使这不是他们遛狗的主要目的。

利物浦大学的研究员，本研究的主要作者卡里·韦斯特加斯博士说，她希望狗主人和动物爱好者能从这些研究结果中找到共鸣。“遛狗对我们的精神健康十分重要，没有什么比看到狗过得快乐更开心的事了。”她说道，“在信息时代，人们超负荷地工作，我们应该感谢狗对我们的健康产生了积极的影响。”

Word Study

pound /pa?nd/ v. 沿着……行走

The young man pounded the pavement looking for a job.

ultimately /'?lt?m?tli/ adv. 基本地；根本上

resonate /'rez?ne?t/ v. 引起共鸣

These issues resonated with the voters.