Wanting a pet is a common wish during childhood, and often beyond. However, to those who are trying to convince their parents, roommate, spouse, or even themselves to get a pet, here are the top reasons why everyone should have a pet.

• Owning a pet can decrease anxiety, stress, and depression; thereby lowering blood pressure and risk of heart attack.

“A large study focusing on this question found that dog owners had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than non-owners, and that these differences weren’t explainable by diet, smoking, or body mass index.” According to an article by Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard Medical School

• Socially, having a pet, especially a dog, can be an instant ice breaker. Lots of people like to stop and pet dogs while they’re on their daily walk. See a pretty girl, but can’t talk to her? Bring a puppy, (or heck, even an iguana on a leash would work), and it will surely catch her attention.

• Having an animal around consistently can lower the risk of developing allergies. In fact, “University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern has conducted a number of studies that demonstrate having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 percent. In fact, his research — as published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology — shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall.” According to an Animal Planet article by Sarah Grace McCandless

• Owning pets that require a lot of upkeep, such as salt water fish, horses, and exotics, can force pet owners to be more productive and educated in the biology, anatomy, and overall caretaking of that animal.

• Pets, especially dogs and farm animals, keep their owners active and prevent a sedentary lifestyle. Imagine, dogs are like toddlers and the elderly, they need to go to the bathroom three times a night, but need their parent to take them there. They will want to go on walks and to the park, and by consequence their parent gets a workout too.

The facts are stacked against the opposition, having a pet is clearly better than not having one.