Furry Fitness Fix

Need a cheap fix for obesity, depression or high blood pressure? Take a trip to your local dog pound a pick up a furry pal.

That's the advice of researchers at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI), who feel that pets can do a great deal to improve both mental and physical health.

Professor Rebecca Johnson, quoted in Science Daily, said: "Pets are of great importance to people, especially during hard economic times. ... Pets provide unconditional love and acceptance and may be part of answers to societal problems, such as inactivity and obesity."

Dogs, especially, are of great value to children, adults and seniors. Intriguingly, they may be greater health value than other humans.

According to Science Daily, seniors who walk with other humans improve their walking abilities by 4 percent. Those who walk with dogs, though, improve by 28 percent. The reasons, said Johnson, are simple: "The human walking buddies tended to discourage each other and used excuses such as the weather being too hot."

The takeaway lesson is clear: friends are great, but for a real kick in the proverbial butt, you need a dog to get you out, about and moving.

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