Research shows pets can improve our health

Researchers now say that there might be very specific physical ways that our pets can improve our health.

Scientists in San Francisco say that dust found in homes with dogs may actually make kids less likely to develop asthma.

Researchers in Minnesota found that people who never owned a cat were 40 percent more likely to die from a heart attack.

"It's that close physical contact that affection connection we share. That's where you get the healing power of pets," said Dr. Marty Becker, author of “The Healing Power of Pets.”

One study even found that simply watching pets calmed nerves.

The connection with animals is thought to trigger drops in the chemical levels linked to stress.