Having a pet around the house brings joy, companionship and just helps keep the health good. Doctors sometimes tell their patients to get a pet because people with pets live longer.

Sometimes when there is a pet in the home, owners have lower blood pressure than people who don't. There is a reason for this. Animals help to relieve stress because they are loyal/faithful, they give unconditional love and their antics make us laugh out loud. And we all know that laughter is good medicine.

When you have a dog as a pet, after an absence from the dog, when you see the dog again, they always react with enthusiasm and receiving their love helps you feel good about yourself. They offer unconditional acceptance of you.

People are in better shape physically when they have a pet than those who don’t. Pet owners need to engage in daily walking because their dogs need to be walked regularly for their own health. By doing the daily walking we can keep our bodies trim and our heart healthy.

We can help slow the aging process by being active. I have even seen people who have cats enjoy getting exercise by walking their cats. It is not common but I have seen a cat on a leash and then another time I saw a stoller type device with a little house for the cat to stay in while the owner walked.

There is such a boost in one's mental health when you have a pet and that is why people with pets can live a longer life. If you live alone pets can help to keep loneliness at bay and can bring comfort to someone who has lost a spouse or even an empty nester.

Doctors will sometimes recommend elderly people go get a pet and those that do follow this prescription see that it raises their mood and helps to keep their depression down. Sometimes pet owners find that they sleep better at night, too.

There are lots of opportunities for social interaction when you are a pet owner. Even strangers walking their dogs in a park have help with breaking the ice when their dogs start interacting with each other. This is another benefit of pet ownership, the social activity helps us feel better and less alone.

By keeping a dog around the house it can calm your fears when you hear bumps in the night and you feel safer if you live alone.

People with pets can live a longer life because they talk to their pets. Sometimes we just pour our heart out just like there was a person listening, when in fact it is just our pet. But that is the beauty of it, our pets don't judge or give us advice, they just listen and love.

Also, having a pet to hug and cuddle with helps us to feel better and makes it easy to unload our burdens. With less stress and feeling better physically this can leave to being able to live a longer life and that is what we ultimately would all love to do.