The next time you’re looking to get a dog, get any kind you want. Yep, any breed, size, fur, even if you have pet allergies. Wait, what? According to researchers, there’s no difference between a hypoallergenic dog and non-hypoallergenic dog.
Hypoallergenic dogs, or dogs “that are more compatible with an allergic person than other breeds” are a myth! Or so says this new study. Researchers analysed dust samples from 60 dog breeds (11 of them considered to be hypoallergenic) to compare the allergen levels of each. When they looked at the samples, researchers could not find a significant difference between hypoallergenic dogs vs non-hypoallergenic dogs. The senior author of the study, Christine Cole Johnson, says:
“We found no scientific basis to the claim hypoallergenic dogs have less allergen. Based on previous allergy studies conducted here at Henry Ford, exposure to a dog early in life provides protection against dog allergy development. But the idea that you can buy a certain breed of dog and think it will cause less allergy problems for a person already dog-allergic is not borne out by our study.”
The American Kennel Club lists 11 “hypoallergenic”dog breeds including poodles, schnauzers and the Portuguese water dog for people with pet allergies, but as they don’t really make a difference, just get the one you love! [CBC]