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Lowering stress

Stroking a dog helps us to relax. Indeed, the mere presence of a pet seems to have the same effect, reducing heart rate and lowering blood pressure. This effect is particularly marked in people suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension).  The reduction in blood pressure is equivalent to that gained by eating a low salt diet or cutting down on alcohol consumption.

Improving the body’s immune system

It has been demonstrated that keeping pets may result in a more stable immune system (particularly between the ages of five and eight). This is possibly the result of a decrease in stress.

Preventing Heart Disease

Heart disease is a major cause of death in the UK. One study showed that keeping a pet significantly reduced levels of cholesterol and blood triglyceride (two factors believed to influence the disease).These effects could not be explained by differences in diet, smoking or socio-economic group.
These effects, in combination with the reduction in blood pressure, may make pet owners less prone to heart attacks than non pet-owners.

Recovery and rehabilitation from illness

Pet ownership proved to be one of the best predictors of survival from a heart attack, according to an American study.  The study showed that those patients who owned a pet had a much better chance of surviving for more than a year after a heart attack - a difference which could not be explained by the extra exercise the dog owners enjoyed.
In fact pets generally have been shown to provide comfort during recovery from illness and so aid rehabilitation.