Hajek A, et al. - Among individuals in old age without a partner, researchers investigated depressive symptoms, loneliness, and social isolation in cat owners and dog owners vs individuals without pets. From a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized older individuals (German Ageing Survey), data was gathered for this study. Among 1,160 individuals (65 years and older) without a partner, there were 952 individuals (82.1%) who did not own a pet. Social isolation was less frequent among dog owners than individuals without pets as per multiple linear regressions. The outcome measures were not different between cat owners and individuals without pets. Men displayed no differences, but social isolation and loneliness were less frequent among female dog owners than women without pets. Findings thereby suggest that owning a dog is associated with social isolation (total sample) as well as loneliness (total sample and women).