REASON NUMBER 157 FOR OWNING A PET

We’ve all heard the research stories about people with pets living longer, happier lives. Owning pets are good for you. They just make you feel better. A new study shows that dogs and cats can protect kids from stomach bugs. The research study by Jane Heyworth and colleagues found that children with a dog or cat in the home were 30% less likely to have gastroenteritis (stomach flu). It was once believed that dogs and cats were possible sources for gastroenteritis. I mean, they do have a tendency to eat poop. But Heyworth’s findings prove other wise. Children being licked and touched by pets actually allow children to develop immunity to pathogenic organisms that can cause gastroenteritis.