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Denise Harris takes an afternoon nap with goose outlet canada her Irish Wolfhounds, Farrhear (left) and Carrik (right), in Columbia, canada goose outlet toronto MD. When Harris is feeling ill, she likes to take a nap with her canine companions on the family canada goose outlet factory room floor. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

As for staying healthy in general, it’s no surprise that having a dog can help you stay more active. One study involving more than 2,000 canada goose outlet las vegas adults found that dog owners who regularly walked their dogs were more physically active and less likely to be obese than those who didn’t own or walk a dog.

Another, which canada goose factory outlet looked at more than 2,500 people ages 71 to 82, found that regular dog walkers tended to walk faster and for longer periods each week than those who did not have dogs to walk. They also showed greater mobility inside their homes. She says Fearghus mothers her when she’s getting canada goose outlet toronto factory sick, sensing what’s coming before she does and herding her to the bed canada goose outlet 2015 or sofa. “Sure enough, a couple of hours later, I’m running a canada goose outlet official fever,” she says. “He then literally watches over me till the fever breaks.”

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Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the canada goose factory outlet vancouver National Institutes of Health are interested in the potential health value of having pets: NIH first raised the human/pet connection nearly 30 years ago, recommending that scientists take pets into account when conducting health research, and the agency has funded a number of studies into the impact of pet ownership.

Pacelle also has a cat named Zoe. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Lori Kogan, an associate professor of clinical sciences at the Colorado State canada goose outlet mall University College of Veterinary Medicine and the editor of the Human Animal Interaction Bulletin, says that pets can canada goose outlet toronto location be especially helpful for people facing emotional difficulties. “Dogs have a positive impact on depression and anxiety,” Kogan says. “When someone loses a spouse or partner, for example, having a dog provides a reason to get up and be social,” she says. For many older people, “it’s canada goose clothing uk the only relationship they have.”.