Almost half of the households in most countries own at least one pet and more than 90 percent of these pet owners consider their pet as a dear and valued member of their family. Among the most popular animals that are made into pets would be dogs and cats.A lot of research has been conducted which suggested that owning pets such as dogs and cats offer a lot of health benefits. Here are some of them:

1. Pets such as dogs or cats can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, asthma and allergies. This would in turn, lessen the need for medical check-ups.

2. Pets could improve your mood. For people who love animals, it is quite impossible to stay depressed or stay in a bad mood if there is a pair of adorable puppy eyes looking right at you or when a soft and fluffy cat rubs up against you. As a matter of fact, there has been a study conducted recently which showed that individuals with AIDS suffered less from depression when they owned a pet.

3. Pets have the ability of helping their owners reduce their stress. While talking to a friend who is a good listener could help you out when dealing with a problem, recent research have also shown that spending some time with a pet could even be better. Research suggests that people who were doing a stressful tasks actually went through less stress when they were with their pets than when they were with a supportive friend or partner.

4. Pets are better in controlling blood pressure compared to the use of drugs. While the ACE inhibiting drugs could help in lowering blood pressure, some studies have shown that they are not that effective on controlling the spikes in blood pressure which is due to tension and stress. With pets, many pet owners reported that their heart rates and blood pressures were much lower.

5. Pets give pet owners a reason to get some exercise. Since dogs need regular exercise, many pet owners are obliged to get out and take their dogs for a walk. This is great for those individuals who are usually too lazy to get up and walk out the door for some jogging or running. Through getting exercise while walking your dog, you would be able to improve your overall health and physical condition.

6. Pets are also able to help in the socializing of their pet owners with other people, whether they are also pet owners or not. When people who have dogs or cats go out with their pet, other people usually stop and ask about their cute dog or cat, which helps the pet owner meet and interact with other people.

7. Pets such as dogs have also been reported to detect the onset of seizures of their pet owners even before they can. This gives the owner the time to prepare for dealing with the seizure.

8. Pets will always be there for you to offer unconditional love and companionship. Even when your family or closest friends cannot be there to console you or keep you company, you can expect your pets to stay by you as you deal with the pain or with the loneliness.

Although dogs and cats are the usual pets that most people get, there are a wide range of other animals that can be made into loving pets. This would include birds such as parrots, canaries and lovebirds. There are also those who choose to get exotic pets like reptiles including iguanas, turtles or alligators. Some even get snakes, raccoons, skunks, chinchillas, wallaroos and sugar gliders and treat them as pets. As a matter of fact, some love their exotic pets so much that they have their pictures printed on Linux mousepads (Linux) so that they can always see them even when they are at work.