Dudes & Dogs Walk & Talk

38-year-old Rob Osman lives in Bristol, England. He has suffered from anxiety and depression since his twenties. Medication never seemed to work for him.

In early 2019, Osman's life changed when he quit his office job so that he could walk dogs. He wanted to be able to focus more on his family and study psychology at a local university.

After this transition, he realized that there was one thing that really worked to ease his anxiety-walking his Hungarian Vizsla Mali. When he laces up his shoes and takes Mali outside for a walk, all of his anxiety seems to melt away.

Osman spoke about Mail:

"She has helped me mentally and physically, her love is unwavering and no matter how you feel when you come home she instantly makes me happy."

Osman soon started taking his friends with him on these walks with Mali. They would just walk and chat, enjoying each other's company. He quickly realized that his friends were also benefiting from the walks, which made him wonder if others could too.

This idea inspired Dudes & Dogs Walk & Talk. The organization joins groups of men together with a trained volunteer and a dog. During these walks the men can talk about their feelings, or just enjoy being outside.

Men are usually resistant to seek help for their mental health. But they need someone to talk to and Dudes & Dogs gives them the perfect opportunity to get away for an hour, drop their defenses and come out of their shells.

Osman said that the dogs act like a "four-legged antidepressant." The men relax, open up and play with the dog.

According to Rustin Moore, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University, Osman's theory is spot on. He said:

"Walking a dog is a conversation waiting to happen. People come from across the street to pet the dog and then you start having a conversation."

He added that research shows that connecting with animals has a positive impact on PTSD, autism and dementia sufferers. Moore continued by saying:

"People's heart rate, their blood pressure go down as does stress hormones, such a cortisol, and actually there is a feel good hormone called oxytocin that actually goes up. It doesn't even have to be your own pet."

The organization Dude & Dogs is still very new, but Osman is planning on working with psychologists to create a training program for the volunteers so that they are able to guide the men in the right direction if additional help is needed. He is working on establishing Dudes & Dogs in his hometown of Bristol first, but he hopes to have it spread throughout the U.K. and the United States.

Osman's ultimate goal is to help normalize mental health care for men.

"It gives people the opportunity to realize that it's not unusual to feel that way, this is giving them a free space and a relaxed place to talk."

I really love this idea and think that it could also be beneficial to women and even children. Dogs are special gems that grace us with their presence everyday. My dog is truly a treasure to me and he helps me so much. I totally get how walking your dog relieves stress and sincerely hope that Dudes & Dogs takes off spreading the message while crushing the stigma.

You can check out Dudes & Dogs Walk and Talk on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can donate here and pick up some sweet merch here.