In contrast to life's destructive stressors, domestic animals offer an unconditional love that can soothe and heal the mind and body. This unconditional love may be considered a glimpse of how God loves us. In a well-demonstrated study, it was found that the positive effect a dog companion can have on lowering blood pressure reactivity was greater than the effect a good friend could have. Why? The friend was often perceived as judgmental, in contrast to the dog, which (obviously) wasn't.

Another study found that one year after being hospitalized with chest pains or a heart attack, only 6% of the pet owners died, compared to 28% of the patients who did not own pets. This finding was independent of disease severity, exercise, or other known factors. Another study found that, among those receiving Medicare benefits, those with pets made fewer visits to their physicians than those without pets.

Pets even help those in prison. In one of the most successful programs of its kind, social worker David Lee of Lima State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, in Ohio, introduced small animals – fish, parakeets, and so on – to prisoners as "mascots." Among the prisoners were many who had committed violent crimes. Allowing them to care for the animals almost completely stopped the fighting and suicide attempts. 

The science on this is clear: Domestic animals offer an unconditional love that can soothe and heal the mind and body.