Considering a recent study that found Michiganders were more motivated to give up smoking for the sake of their pets than their own health, you shouldn't be surprised to learn why a British pet expert concluded pet owners were better off walking their dogs than having health club memberships.

Based on a study of some 5,000 patients, including 3,000 dog owners, the proof is all about the numbers. Only 16 percent of the respondents polled enjoyed exercising in a gym, while some 70 percent considered going to one a chore.

Conversely, only 22 percent of the dog owners polled felt walking the dog was work, a far cry from the 86 percent who enjoyed daily walks with their furry companions. What's more, non-dog owners generally exercised far less on their own or in a gym (90 minutes every week) as compared to folks who walked their canines about eight hours a week on average. Even more revealing, 47 percent of all non-pet owners admitted they did no exercise at all.

Learn more about the impact of pet ownership on your health, via the Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) program launched two years ago by our sister organization, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, that uses our four-legged friends to ease the anxiety, pain, discomfort and stress felt by cancer patients and their loved ones in this awesome feature.

And, if you're not too tired of watching everyone else playing and exercising with their own four-legged family members (think the Cable TV mainstay Animal Planet), watch this video from Better.tv for a first-hand look at the range of health benefits connected with pet ownership.

;

UPI.com January 1, 2010

Telegraph.co.uk November 27, 2009