The touching account of a family dog who brought happiness to Jacob Cachia at a time when he was severely ill must have struck a chord with many readers and it is very admirable of Jacob’s mother to lobby for provision of facilities to enable hospital inpatients to be reunited with their beloved dogs.

At the same time, it is dismaying to read that this will require no less than an isolation “cabin” to be built at expense for this purpose, as though domestic dogs pose some sort of pestilential threat to humans.

The myth that a domestic dog can be a “source of infection” is as misguided as it is old-fashioned; it gave rise to stuffy bureaucracy and restrictions. Restrictions are at last being lifted in many countries and, provided that the owner guarantees good behaviour, dogs are increasingly being allowed into public places such as restaurants and overnight at hotels.

Long-term studies also show benefits from having resident dogs in nursing homes; where this was not an option visiting dogs improved the lives of nursing home residents.

Owning a dog can also serve as a social catalyst by facilitating social contact for elderly people, for those with physical disabilities, the lonely and those at risk of social isolation in the community.

There are, in fact, exceedingly few diseases that are shared between human and animal species. Exceptions do exist but dogs do not pose a health threat.

There is rabies, of course. This disease can be transmitted to humans by animals living in the wild in countries where there is a reservoir of rabies infection. In rare and exceptional circumstances, a dog can become infected from the wild in such countries.

The myth that a domestic dog can be a ‘source of infection’ is as misguided as it is old-fashioned

But, in truth, the typical household dog is a remarkably healthy animal which does not harbour illnesses for the simple reason that there are too few dogs to permit persistence or transmission of dog-specific illnesses. Rather than pose a health threat, the presence of dogs in households confers a number of health gains so that the equation is in favour of dog ownership.

It is now accepted that children in families with household dogs tend to suffer fewer illnesses than others. In 2005, the British Medical Journal published a review on the subject and cited evidence of benefits from domestic dog ownership ranging from reduced risk of asthma and allergies in children, decreased use of medical services (with potential savings on health expenditure), higher survival rates after heart attacks and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The latter is quite plausible as dog owners tend to walk more.

Dogs can also be a valuable health aid by virtue of their mysterious ability to notice something is wrong long before it is noticeable to ill people or those around them. Thus, some dogs, even the untrained, are able to detect insulin-induced hypoglycaemic attacks in diabetic people and alert them in advance by behaving in a manner which attracts their owners’ attention. Similarly, dogs are able to foretell impending epileptic seizures. Dogs can also be trained to sniff the presence of certain cancers. And, of course, the use of dogs as guide dogs for the blind is legendary.

Children with autism can benefit from interaction with dogs. This is especially the case with specially-trained dogs but even untrained ones seem uncannily able to resonate with these children in some mysterious way through non-linguistic behaviour. Many will have experienced how even a seemingly simple activity as walking together with a dog on a leash brings about improved social behaviour in some affected children.

It is time we got over misplaced negative prejudices and start to allow well-behaved dogs to visit. Having a cabin “equipped with all the necessary tools to ensure infection control” and requiring a vet certificate sounds utterly medieval. What infections are we worrying about? Rabies?

Though not posing any health hazard, it may be too much to expect dogs to be allowed into hospital wards but surely the presence of a dog poses no threat as long as it is on a leash, well-behaved and not allowed in areas where food is being prepared.

What harm is there, for instance, in allowing dogs informally in a limited section of the reception area? Why do people have to jump through hoops to take a dog which is, in most cases, literally a member of the family, to visit its loving owner or family?