How much do dogs reduce our stress?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Post Reports – "How much do dogs reduce our stress?"
Published November 1, 2025; Hosted by Maggie Penman with guest reporter Kyle Melnick and psychologist Dr. Carrie Rodriguez

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Overview

In this uplifting episode of Post Reports, Maggie Penman sits down with her Washington Post colleague, reporter Kyle Melnick, to explore a simple question: How much do dogs reduce our stress? The episode blends personal storytelling, reporting on animal shelter programs, and scientific insight to investigate the genuine mental health benefits of spending time with dogs—even if you don’t own one. Psychologist Dr. Carrie Rodriguez joins to explain the science behind the “dog effect” on our well-being.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Skeptical Reporter Encounters the Power of Dogs

(00:19–03:33)

• Contrasting Personalities:
  • Maggie introduces Kyle as a hardcore skeptic, almost cynical, reflective of the old journalism adage: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
  • Kyle admits: “I'm a pessimist or a realist. …I would describe myself as a cynic.” (00:37)
• Kyle’s Trust Issues:
  • Kyle traces his distrust to his experience reporting: “It's been like a gradual decline, like over my reporting career. ...It's rare when I feel like someone is being really honest with me.” (01:32)

2. Dog Day Out Program & Mental Health Benefits

(02:38–03:48)

• Animal Shelter Programs:
  • Kyle reports on “Dog Day Out” programs—shelters let people borrow a dog for a day, no adoption commitment needed.
  • “It's good for people who don't want to own a dog, who still want to spend time with a dog.” (02:38)
• Reported Benefits:
  • Both people and dogs enjoy it—gets participants active, outdoors, and improves mood.
  • “Just spending like five minutes [with] a dog is good for you and the dog. It helps lower stress and anxiety, boosts your mood.” (03:48, quoting a psychologist)

3. Kyle’s Day With Heihei, the Shelter Dog

(04:10–07:29)

• Meeting Heihei:
  • Heihei, a black-and-white two-year-old, immediately wins over Kyle with trust and affection.
  • “When they brought him out from his cage, he just started licking all over my face.” (04:15)
• Kyle Reflects on Trust and Empathy:
  • Heihei’s willingness to trust a stranger moves Kyle unexpectedly:
    • “It made me think that, you know, he's probably had not a great backstory...So that made it even more meaningful when Heihei immediately put his trust into me.” (05:10)
• Outdoor Adventure:
  • They walk along a trail by the Anacostia River. Heihei plays, jumps on Kyle, and they play tug of war.
  • Quiet moment: “Eventually I sat against a fence, and then he came over, and then he just put his head on my thigh, and he closed his eyes.” (06:24)
• Adoption Temptation:
  • Kyle admits it was difficult to return Heihei and weighed the pros/cons of adoption. Allergies and lifestyle (“Heihei really enjoyed people…I don’t know if Heihei’s gonna be happy sitting alone the whole day while I’m at work.” (07:14)) are factors.
• Happy Ending for Heihei:
  • The shelter confirms Heihei is quickly adopted after the story runs. (07:46)

4. Personal Transformation: Lasting Impact on Trust

(08:09–09:39)

• Kyle Describes a Changed Outlook:
  • “It changed my outlook a lot. I’m not very trusting…But the fact that Heihei was just so trusting, despite whatever his backstory is, made me think differently about it…If Heihei could trust us, then, like, why can’t I?” (08:09)
• Trust Extends to Colleague Relationships:
  • Maggie jokes about relating to Heihei—persistent and trusting with Kyle as a friend—mirroring the dog’s attitude.
  • Kyle: “Like, he’s still, in my mind, the lessons he’s taught me. So I hope that that continues. I hope I continue to think about him…to be more trusting.” (09:22)

5. The Science: Why Dogs Make Us Feel Good

(12:11–15:48; Dr. Carrie Rodriguez interview)

• Introducing Dr. Carrie Rodriguez:
  • Dr. Rodriguez leads a research group on human-animal bonds at the University of Arizona:
    • “I really have married my love of animals and research together.” (12:36)
• Research Overview:
  • Studies measure impacts of pets, therapy dogs, service animals on “mental health and social health and physiological health…measuring things like cortisol and blood pressure and stress.” (12:47)
• Scientific Findings:
  • Even meeting an unfamiliar dog reduces stress quickly: “[With] a dog that you don't know, we have pretty immediate stress benefits…calming ourselves down…a form of mindfulness, just being in the moment, focusing on the dog.” (13:36)
  • Petting a dog decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol; boosts mood for hours afterward—even more so with your own pet.
  • Eye contact with your own dog raises oxytocin (“love hormone”) levels for both human and dog, building trust and bonds: “When we gaze into the eyes of our pet dogs, not only does their oxytocin go up, but ours does too.” (14:20)
• Lessons from Dogs:
  • Dr. Rodriguez on Kyle’s story:
    • “I think we have a lot to learn from shelter dogs…they're so loving so easily…even some of them have experienced trauma in the past.” (15:30)

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Notable Quotes + Timestamps

• “If your mother says she loves you, check it out. And that is basically Kyle's worldview.”
  — Maggie Penman (00:57)

• “I'm a pessimist or a realist. I would describe myself as a cynic.”
  — Kyle Melnick (00:37)

• “Just spending like five minutes of a dog is good for you and the dog. It helps lower stress and anxiety, boosts your mood, and it's also good for the dog.”
  — Kyle Melnick, quoting a psychologist (03:48)

• “Heihei…immediately put his trust into me.”
  — Kyle Melnick (05:22)

• “If Heihei could trust us, then, like, why can't I?”
  — Kyle Melnick (08:24)

• “Whether or not…you know, the dog, even a dog that you don’t know, we have pretty immediate stress benefits…Just being in the moment, focusing on the dog.”
  — Dr. Carrie Rodriguez (13:36)

• “When we gaze into the eyes of our pet dogs, not only does their oxytocin go up, but ours does too.”
  — Dr. Carrie Rodriguez (14:20)

• “Maybe the recipe for a good life really is that simple. We should all be more like dogs.”
  — Maggie Penman (15:48)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19 – Kyle’s skepticism and introduction
• 02:38 – Reporting on Dog Day Out shelter programs
• 03:48 – Science: dogs’ benefit to mental health
• 04:10 – Kyle meets Heihei the dog
• 05:22 – Emotional reflections on trust
• 06:24 – Kyle and Heihei bond on the walk
• 07:46 – Happy update: Heihei is adopted
• 08:09 – Personal impact on Kyle’s trust and outlook
• 12:11 – Dr. Carrie Rodriguez explains research
• 13:36 – Specific scientific findings on dogs and stress
• 14:20 – Oxytocin, trust, and the lasting dog-human bond

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Conclusion

This heartfelt episode of Post Reports blends personal narrative, investigative reporting, and science to show how spending time with dogs—through innovative shelter programs or just a few minutes of petting—can measurably improve our mental health and even help the most skeptical among us to open up and trust a little more. As Maggie succinctly puts it: “Maybe the recipe for a good life really is that simple. We should all be more like dogs.” (15:48)

Transcript

[Maggie Penman]

There's a question audio producers always ask in sound checks. What did you have for breakfast today?

[Kyle Melnick]

I had. I made like, really fluffy pancakes, bacon, eggs.

[Maggie Penman]

No, I'm sure he did not eat breakfast.

[Kyle Melnick]

I haven't eaten anything today.

[Maggie Penman]

I'm Maggie Penman and that is my colleague, Kyle Melnick. Kyle and I are both reporters for the Optimist, the section here at the Post that brings you inspiring, hopeful news stories about things that are going right in the world. But Kyle approaches the beat from a very different angle than I do.

[Kyle Melnick]

Depending on your outlook. I'm a pessimist or a realist. I would describe myself as a cynic.

[Maggie Penman]

Do you ever think about the irony that you work for the Optimist?

[Kyle Melnick]

Yeah, when I got hired on the Optimist, a lot of people thought it was humorous.

[Maggie Penman]

To me, Kyle is one of those classic kind of old school news reporter types. He's really smart and funny, but super deadpan. He has a very dry sense of humor and he's skeptical of everything. As the journalism saying goes, if your mother says she loves you, check it out. And that is basically Kyle's worldview. He doesn't take things at face value. If his mother says she loves him, he checks it out. Which makes him really good at his job. But it's also maybe sometimes a little bit isolating. Why do you think it's hard for you to trust people?

[Kyle Melnick]

I think it's been like a gradual decline, like over my reporting career. At least in my experience. It's rare when I feel like someone is being really honest with me. I mean, like, I understand why people are untrusting at first. I totally get it because I'm like the same way. So I am a little hypocritical with that.

[Maggie Penman]

But recently, though, Kyle had an experience that changed his perspective. And that's why I wanted to interview him today. This is Post Reports weekend. It's Saturday, November 1st. Today, Kyle's story about spending a day with a dog and the science of how dogs can make us happier, healthier, and maybe even a little more open to trusting each other. This story starts with some reporting Kyle was doing about programs put on by animal shelters that let you take a dog out for a day, even if you're not ready to foster or adopt.

[Kyle Melnick]

It's good for people who don't want to own a dog, who still want to spend time with a dog. So when I heard about the program, I was like, oh, that's amazing. I have to do that because I love dogs. But I also am not Ready to own a dog? I don't think.

[Maggie Penman]

I think you are, but that's another story.

[Kyle Melnick]

Yeah. So I heard about the program and then first I reported a story about it. I talked to other people who did it. People really liked it. It's just fun for me.

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And it gets me active, it gets me out.

[Kyle Melnick]

Of the house and not doom scrolling on my phone.

[Shopify Advertiser]

It's our favorite hobby, especially since it's free and it makes us feel very good and we have a lot of fun.

[Kyle Melnick]

I reported the story and then after I reported it, I had the idea of doing it myself. But also Maggie had the idea of me doing it myself.

[Maggie Penman]

I would. I gently nudged in that direction, I think. Well, so part of what you found in your reporting that I thought was super interesting was that, like, not only is this a lovely way to spend an afternoon, but there's actually significant mental health benefits too.

[Kyle Melnick]

Yeah. So I talked to a psychologist who said, basically, just spending like five minutes of a dog is good for you and the dog. It helps lower stress and anxiety, boosts your mood, and it's also good for the dog. I wasn't surprised by that. I mean, anyone who has pet a dog I think could tell you that they feel better after petting the dog.

[Maggie Penman]

So Kyle decided to try it. He went to an animal shelter in northeast dc.

[Kyle Melnick]

I went in there mid October, and they gave me a dog named Heihei, a two year old dog, black and white coat. And he basically right when they brought him out from his cage, he just started licking all over my face.

[Maggie Penman]

Aww.

[Kyle Melnick]

Right away it was like, this is a great dog. And I was like, so honored that Hei. Hei trusted me. Like right from the start, Kyle told.

[Maggie Penman]

Me he was really moved by this.

[Kyle Melnick]

Heihei was found on a street loose in Northeast Washington. So Hei didn't have a microchip and obviously nobody went to pick him up after he got to the shelter. So unfortunately, dogs can't share their whole backstories. So I don't know everything, but that's what I know. Like, I know he was loose and you know that he went to the shelter and no one picked him up. So it made me think that, you know, he's probably had not a great backstory, like I guess a lot of shelter dogs. Hei. Hei seems like he has reason not to trust people. So that made it even more meaningful when Heihei immediately put his trust into me.

[Maggie Penman]

So Kyle and Heihei went to a nearby nature trail for a walk.

[Kyle Melnick]

At first he seemed Like, a little confused. Like, he didn't know what was going on. But after about, like, an hour or two, he got. It seemed like he got pretty comfortable. Then about, like, two hours in, we walked toward the Anacostia River. Like, all of a sudden, he got, like, really excited. So he, like, tried running into the river, and he almost dragged me in. I feel like it really pulled my hamstrings, like, to hold myself back. And then. Then he just, like, started jumping all over me, like, kind of out of nowhere. And I was, like, a little confused, like, why he was so excited all of a sudden. But then I was like, I have to just go with the flow and trust that Heihei, you know, it's just trying to play. And then he bit his leash. And I was like, what is he trying to do? And I was like, oh, yeah, he wants to play tug of war for his leash. So we played tug of war for a few minutes, and then eventually I sat against a fence, and then he came over, and then he just put his head on my thigh, and he closed his eyes.

[Maggie Penman]

Was there any part of you that was tempted to keep Heihei?

[Kyle Melnick]

Definitely. It was really hard to take him back. He was so sweet throughout the whole time. It's. You know, in those situations, you're just, like, weighing the pros and cons in your mind.

[Maggie Penman]

I should mention here, Kyle is allergic to dogs. That has not stopped me from pressuring him to adopt one. He didn't have a reaction to Heihei, but they. They were outside the whole time, so he worried about what would happen if he brought him home. And there was another concern weighing on him.

[Kyle Melnick]

His personality is very different from mine. Right. Like, I'm not sure if I'd prefer to have, like, a dog who is really outgoing or a dog who's, like, more like me. Like, more like, introverted and, like, you have to earn their trust. I don't know. I relate more to dogs who, like, are a little more hesitant at first and then, like, really love you, like, after they get to know you. And also, Heihei really enjoyed people and other dogs, so I was like, I don't know if Heihei's gonna be happy, like, sitting alone the whole day while I'm at work.

[Washington Post Subscriber Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Kyle Melnick]

But I also kind of knew Heihei would get adopted. I was not very concerned that, like, someone else wouldn't want him. Like, I could see someone just having the best time with Heihei in their house and Heihei having the best time with them.

[Maggie Penman]

So Sweet. Do you know if he's been adopted yet?

[Kyle Melnick]

Yeah. So actually, I checked my email after the story came out, and the shelter emailed me saying that Heihei had been adopted. So it happened pretty fast, and I was happy to see that.

[Maggie Penman]

So even though Kyle didn't end up with a dog at the end of this, he feels like the experience did improve his mental health and it changed his outlook.

[Kyle Melnick]

It changed my outlook a lot. And I think even to this day has changed my outlook a lot. I'm not very trusting. Like, I don't trust a lot of people. I don't think people have good intentions for the most part. But the fact that Heihei was just so trusting, despite whatever his backstory is, made me think differently about it. And I've thought about this a lot since I took him out. Like, if Heihei could trust us, then, like, why can't I? Since I took out Heihei, I've been thinking more that, you know, people are just doing their best and trying to be good, so I should give him more of a chance. Yeah. So he's really left, like, a lasting impact on me, which I was not expecting.

[Maggie Penman]

That's so nice. Honestly, I kind of relate to Heihei. I feel like since I met you, I'm just like, be my friend, Kyle. And you're like, I don't know. And I'm like, no, really, let's hang out. And you're like, ugh, okay, fine. Like, ugh.

[Kyle Melnick]

Yeah, I think that. I think you're probably right. Like, I think that's probably how most my relationships go, where people are trying to learn more about me and get into my circle in my world. And I'm, like, kind of hesitant at first. And this has taught me that maybe I shouldn't be. Because, I mean, it's been two weeks now since I saw Heihei, and it still has made a difference. Like, he's still, in my mind, the lessons he's taught me. So I hope that that continues. I hope I continue to think about him for a while, to be more trusting.

[Maggie Penman]

Yeah. And if you ever feel like the lessons of Heihei are starting to fade, you can always go take out another dog.

[Kyle Melnick]

That's true.

[Maggie Penman]

That was my colleague and hard won friend, reporter Kyle Melnick. After the break, we'll hear from a psychologist who studies the bond between people and dogs. She explains why spending even a small amount of time with a dog is so darn good for us. We'll be right back.

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[Maggie Penman]

I wanted to understand better what Kyle had experienced, so I called back a researcher that he had spoken to for his original story.

[Dr. Carrie Rodriguez]

Hi, My name is Dr. Carrie Rodriguez. I am an assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Ariz, Arizona, where I lead a research group that's entirely focused on understanding our bond and relationships with companion animals such as cats and dogs.

[Maggie Penman]

That is the best job I've ever heard of.

[Dr. Carrie Rodriguez]

I hit the jackpot. I really have married my love of animals and research together.

[Maggie Penman]

So tell me about some of the research you've done. Just a few examples of some of the studies.

[Dr. Carrie Rodriguez]

Yeah, so we do a lot of research really quantifying the effect that animals have on our well being. So from our pets to. To the therapy dogs that we interact with in hospitals or libraries, to the service dogs that are trained for tasks that help disabilities, Our research really focuses on quantifying the mental health and social health and physiological health benefits that interacting with animals has. So I spent a lot of time measuring things like cortisol and blood pressure and stress to really put numbers behind the stories. So putting strong science behind the way that interacting with a dog makes us feel good.

[Maggie Penman]

And tell me, like, what is the effect on cortisol, blood pressure, stress levels, heart rate? Like, what is the effect of hanging out with a dog?

[Dr. Carrie Rodriguez]

Yeah, what we find is that whether or not, you know, the dog, even a dog that you don't know, we have pretty immediate stress benefits. So just by sitting down with a dog and petting them and having that little five minute relaxation break is really good for calming ourselves down. It's a form of mindfulness, Just being in the moment, focusing on the dog. And what we know is that the dog really provides what we call, you know, unconditional love. They are just so excited to see you and get pet by you. And even that interaction with the therapy dog can lead to decreases in blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol and improved mood that can actually last for, you know, several hours. Beyond the interaction, it's even stronger when it's our own pet that we have a relationship with, where we know that positively interacting with our own dogs actually can lead to improvements in the hormone oxytocin, which is famously called the love hormone. It's really important in forming trust and bonds. And what we find is that when we gaze into the eyes of our pet dogs, not only does their oxytocin go up, but ours does too. So we know that that relationship with our own pets is really important, but that you can also get benefits from an animal that you don't know. So really it's a special interaction.

[Maggie Penman]

So I want to tell you about Kyle's experience. I don't know if you read his follow up story, but he ended up actually taking a dog out himself. He describes himself as an introvert and a little bit of a cynic. I think it's the reporter in him. He's like, skeptical until he reports it out. And. And so he has trouble trusting people. And he was saying that, like, after spending time with this really sweet, trusting dog, he feels himself giving people the benefit of the doubt more.

[Dr. Carrie Rodriguez]

Yeah, that's great. Yeah. I think we have a lot to learn from shelter dogs. They're you know, so loving so easily. Even so, some of them have experienced trauma in the past. And yeah, I think we have a lot to learn from the kindness and love of dogs.

[Maggie Penman]

Maybe the recipe for a good life really is that simple. We should all be more like dogs. I'm Maggie Penman. I'm a reporter for the Optimist. If you want to hear more stories like this one on the weekend, please send me an email. You can reach the whole [e-mail] or just [e-mail] Today's episode was reported and produced by me and Kyle Melnick, with help from Ted Muldoon, who also makes the show. It was edited by Alison Klein. If you want even more optimistic content, check out our newsletter. I'll put a link in our show notes where you can subscribe. Thank you for listening and have a great rest of your weekend.

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