This is my dog Dom. He's the most effective anti-depressant, workout incentive, vacuum cleaner, alarm system, foot warmer and friend that's on the market these days ;)

Yes, my dog makes me healthier.

Any downside (cost maybe?) is so greatly outweighed by how happy he makes me that I consider there to be zero negatives to pet ownership.

Do pets help mood and energy? Yes. Any negatives to owning a pet healthwise? No.

This is the one entity in your life that will never judge and just wants to be with you. Play. Sleep. Snuggle. Entertain. Makes you feel better when you feel like shite, are sad or sick. Will maintain your happiness. Gets you outside.

The only downside, I find, is pretty much just trying to finding someone trustworthy to take care of them when you need to leave town. Oh, and an additional downside with mine is she's a pillow hog, wants to sleep in the middle of the bed, and will steal covers. 5lbs of awesome that I rescued 4 years ago, that I love and want to throttle at the same time. She was crate trained until I came home one night with too many drinkies in me, scooped her up, tossed her into the bed. Woke up with her head on my pillow facing me. Absolutely insanely cute and I was cooked - the bed is now shared.

The only time she's ever had to be taken to the emergency vet, outside of shots: ate a block of rat poison, ate a chocolate bar, was attacked by two huge dogs, had an allergic reaction to poison that was sprayed on park grass. Do I regret having had to have dealt with these issues? No. She takes care of me, I take care of her. Done.

Well, I better say having pets is good because I have 3 toy dogs and 2 cats. :-))

Seriously, though, they shower love and laughter on me and seem to crank that up a notch when I'm sick or upset. For example, normally the dogs prefer a long walk every morning but if I'm not feeling well they go immediately and lead me back home. If any part of my body aches or hurts, they all lick THAT part. When people ask me if I live alone, I say, "No!" I still enjoy my human friends but it's the pets I turn to when I'm really upset. And I agree that I would probably move around a lot less without them.

Pets, dogs especially, have been shown to trigger an oxytocin release in humans. This is the same "bonding/love" hormone associated with nursing babies and mothers and can translate into more positive relationships with humans as well. (article here)

On the other hand, pets can also carry diseases such as MRSA (staph bacteria resistant to antibiotics) and the plague. This problem is exacerbated by pets sleeping with their owners and when they come in contact with young children and immune compromised individuals. (article here)

So, like anything, there are positives and negatives and it is up to the individual to judge whether or not the risk outweighs the rewards.

(I am inclined to believe that most "animal lovers" are willing to take the risk though!)

Yes, it helps, especially children (hygiene hypothesis). It turns out such children have lower number of alergies and asthma.

Other then that some animals such negative energy [cats] and some provide huge benefit to crippled people [dogs, monkeys] and some calm down the space [fishes].

Well let's see...

1. Having a dog has the potential to help you get exercise as dogs are more neurotic and ill behaved if they are not exercised consistently. On the down side, if you're not willing to put in the time to exercise them, you won't reap the benefits and neither will they.

2. I've heard there are studies out there (that, I'll be honest, I can't be bothered to look for right now) that say owning a pet can reduce stress and lower blood pressure. On a personal note, I know when I come home to 2x70lbs of wiggling dog excitement, it definitely helps my mood after a crap day. It's kind of awesome that someone is THAT happy to see you.

3. I'd say the only negative I can come up with is the same negative you would get if you cared about anyone - it's stressful and scary when they get sick. A few days ago I was woken up to one of my dogs bleeding all over the floor for no apparent reason. It turns out it was far less of a big deal than all that blood would have you think. However, since I didn't know that while she was bleeding everywhere, the hour after I discovered it led to a few panicked phone calls, a mad dash to the vet and almost having a panic attack in the doc's office when doc suggested she might have gotten into rat poison. (No, I don't have any rat poison out, but could the neighbors? Who knows.) So - elevated blood pressure, panic attack, can't think it was good for any of my stress hormone levels. But is it worth it? You bet. I wouldn't trade my dogs for anything.

Most pet owners don't need reminding. Animals make people feel good. But we're talking about more than feeling glad they're around. Your favorite animal can make you healthy and help you stay that way. You may be surprised at just how many ways a pet can improve your health.

Pet Waste Removal

I once heard that having a cat sit on your lap & purr when you stroke it sends good vibrations into your bone marrow

I know this sounds way hippy and admittedly i am a bit of a hippy, but i did read it somewhere half reputable

It wasn't this site i originally read the article, but it says the same thing essentially...

https://sites.google.com/site/healthgridtv/purr-fect-healing

I love cats! :) (dogs too)

Downside? Cat hair! (or wet dog smell)

I live in Thailand and have been homesick for Australia until a cat adopted us. Yup he found us. We called him Jack Black and he has given my husband and I so much pleasure. Our family is all grown up but it's like having a little one around again. How does it make you feel when they jump on your lap and purr. Unconditional love.