When you get home from a hard day’s work, or are just relaxing on the weekends, a pet by your side can be calming. No matter what else is happening in the world, the little animal by your side loves you and seems to try and make you feel better.

Even though you seem to feel better when your pet is around, is there evidence that shows pets have a positive medical affect on their owners? Could owning a pet really prolong your life and relieve your stress? Well, the studies have come out, and that definitely looks to be the case!

An article on the Humane Society’s Web site does a great job of citing studies and showing how a pet can help at the end of a hard work day. According to a study in the article, “…people who owned pets had much lower heart rates and blood-pressure levels…”

While our pets help our health by reducing blood pressure, do we help theirs in the same way? Can we help prolong their lives by helping with their stress? It’s possible, especially if we make an effort.

We need to help our pets in the same ways they help us. If we make sure to give our pets attention and cuddle them when they want (not just when we want), the relationship becomes more mutually beneficial.