If your blood pressure is running a little high, you could see a doctor and perhaps change your diet and start exercising. Or find a dog to pet. Just kidding – you should all of these things. The National Center for Biotechnology Information did a study for DogCare.com and found that the simple act of petting your dog can do wonders for your BP. Calling it the “Pet Effect,” the results revealed that participants needed to physically interact to reap the benefits, rather than just speaking to Ol’ Rover.
Pet ownership has previously been looked at by scientists, who noted that Fido was eight times more likely to keep heart attack victims alive one year after leaving the hospital than those without a dog.
