Dogs are good for …
1. Boosting your mood. More than 80 percent of new owners report feeling happier.
2. Making friends. British researchers found that owners who walk their dogs meet a lot of new people.
3. Losing weight. Dog walkers lose an average of 14 pounds in a year, a University of Missouri study says.
Cats are good for …
1. Helping you chill. Most owners say their cats help them relax.
2. Protecting your heart. A recent study shows that cat owners are 40 percent less likely to die of a heart attack than those without cats.
3. Ditching asthma. Kids with cats may get an immunity boost, Columbia University researchers say.
Related Stories:
Comments (3)
One of our dogs, a border collie mix, alerts me if my diabetic husband’s blood sugar drops too low. She has not been trained for this; she just seems to know when it happens, usually in the middle of the night, and wakes me. If she starts to “dance” or bat me with her paws at anytime, I have learned to check him immediately.
I had been suffering with high blood pressure for many years and was forced to take medication to control it. I hate medicines like that. I read an article that some dogs can help lower blood pressure. I adopted two young golden retrievers and stopped taking the pills. My doctor complemented me for how well I was controlling my blood pressure. I told him I had thrown away the drugs in favor of the dogs. He was shocked. I have had consistently normal blood pressure for over two years without med’s. Now if I could just find a pet to control cholesterol and diabetes I would be set.
I was in a near death accident putting me in the hospital for 2 months.My family brought my black and white cat regular. he was in a cat carrier on a table outside with the door open. I had fractured ribs and could hold him for 30 seconds at a time so he would go back into the kennel and would come back into my arms when asked.He was so calm. The accident was 5 years ago.He was with me for the first year of healing and then died at a very early age of 2. His name was Time,and he was an angel that God took so he could help other others. I still miss him.