Your Pet Dog Might Just Be Saving Your Life

Everyone knows a dog is "man's best friend," but did you know that owning a dog might actually be saving your life? A new study suggests that owning a dog is "protective against dying of any cause."

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The findings were published in a systematic review in 'Circulation,' a journal of the American Heart Association.

"Dog ownership was associated with a 24% reduction in all-cause mortality," said Mount Sinai endocrinologist Dr. Caroline Kramer.

The review spanned over 70 years of research and included over almost 4 million people from several major countries.

Another study also found that people who had dogs as pets had better health outcomes after major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes.

Though both studies are observational and would require a clinical trial to be proven, the AHA marks the findings as significant.

"While these non-randomized studies cannot 'prove' that adopting or owning a dog directly leads to reduced mortality, these robust findings are certainly at least suggestive of this," said Dr. Glenn Levine, via AHA's scientific statement on pet ownership.

I don't know about you, but this looks like a great way to convince your parent/significant other/roommate that a new puppy is a required present this holiday season.