About 44 percent of U.S. households own a dog and studies have found that people who have dogs tend to get sick less often than those who do not.

That may be because dogs are covered in germs and researchers say when your body is exposed to a more diverse mix of germs, you tend to get sick less.

A recent Canadian study found that kids whose moms had dogs living in the house when they were pregnant were less likely to develop allergies and become overweight. Some other dog-owning health benefits: lower stress levels and lower likelihood of suffering from depression.

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