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Walk the pet

Having a dog is a sure way of getting some exercise

"In the streets of New York, between seven and nine in the morning, you will see the slow procession of dog and owner proceeding from street to tree to hydrant to trash basket. They are apartment dogs. They are taken out twice a day, and, while it is a cliché, it is truly amazing how owner and dog resemble each other." — John Steinbeck

Be it summer or winter, your body wants one more hour of sleep, but the big brown eyes and the yelps of your pet drag you from your bed. Still blurry and half asleep, you stumble through the neighbourhood with your dog dragging you from telephone pole to pole.

One more day when the dog won, and you got some exercise without even realising it. Dog owners get exercise whether they like it or not. Going for a walk and chasing sticks and balls are among a dog's greatest pleasures, and every dog uses a mixture of soulful entreaty and blatant blackmail to get its quota of play and fun.

Either you take the dog out, or you get to clean dog poop and piddle off your drawing room floor. Little wonder dog owners grit their teeth and put their shoes on.

All this exercise adds up to quite a bit of good health. Dog owners are mentally healthier. This is well known. According to a study, 28 per cent of heart patients who have pets survived major heart attacks, while only six per cent of those without pets survived.

Dog owners have lower blood pressure, require fewer visits to the doctor, and have lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Extra exercise

The latest research in preventive medicine suggests that dog owners get 15 to 20 minutes of extra exercise per day. Urban dwellers love to make excuses for not exercising, but they are the most to benefit by getting a dog. When you own a dog in the city, you HAVE to take the furry guy out on a leash. It is not like you can let him run around on his own.

Most city apartments ban pets, especially dogs. America, which has strict rules on pets and noise pollution, allows dogs in apartments with certain restrictions. Dogs should be acceptable in apartments, as long as owners train them properly.

RAJIV.M

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