The Dog: A Heart’s Best Friend

I’m reading up on transportation issues concerning our aging population and I just hit the section on alternate forms of transportation (e.g. Walking or Biking) and the paper cites a study conducted by the CDC, which produced the following conclusion:

The CDC estimates that if 10 percent of adults began a regular walking program, $5.6 billion in heart disease costs could
be saved (CDC 2003).

Now, I don’t know if there are any organized efforts underway to get the nation out and walking, but I can think of a great incentive.  Seriously, there’s no shortage of dogs that are stuck in shelters, and a looming amount of elderly and “pre-elderly” who seem doomed to an isolated, inactive life.  Provided we make our streets safer to walk or bike on (for which momentum is growing), I think that there’s a great opportunity for, what’s the word, synergy here.