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A pet for a healthy you

Having a pet is a sure shot way of getting some exercise into your life

Be it summer or winter, your body wants to snuggle in for 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 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 entreaties 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.

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.

RAJIV M

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