It did for me. You have to be truly heartless to see a dog being sad about not going outside. So you take it for a walk, then another and another. Soon enough you're researching hiking trails in your region and getting healthier.

Dogs are the best.

agreed, with an addendum : we have rescue cats too, and they too are like "nope, off the computer, time to play".

And perhaps because we have both, they all will play games together (and with us humans): the cats are like dogs who can do gymnastics.

the cats will walk outside on leashes but look annoyed and embarrassed. however our feral ancestry dog is like having Richard Simmons on meth...and makes me amused at people who are like "a border collie is a handful". i'm like tell it to her paw.

God yeah. So much healthier and happier in my forties than my thirties, and it's all down to my executive assistant.

yes and then dog dies so you go back into a depression :(

and then you realize shelters/rescues are full of super healthy dogs yearning for a home, and same for cats, and then you go adopt at least one, and realize you've honored what your previous pet would want for you.

(speaking from experience, 5 rescues here now, lots of activity for lots of fun...thankful for WFH flexibility)

not ready for that yet but i look forward to that future

yep, understood, and your future looks bright!