Animals affect humans

So I had an assignment to do for class. I had to create a blog. I didn't really know what I was doing or what I was going to write about. I though and though about and finally decided to write about one of the most important things in my life--my dogs. First of all, I have two dogs. The first one is Ed. Ed is about 10 years old. He is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. I adopted him from the SPCA when I lived in Monterey, California. My second dog, Dixie Blue, is a purebred (although not registered...yet) Australian Cattle Dog. She is just over 3 years old. I thought, "Hey, it's a great idea to get another Australian Cattle Dog. I already have one so I know what their temperament is like." Famous last words, right? :) It was definitely a whole new learning experience. You couldn't leave anything lying around because when you weren't home, it would end up in shreds. Dixie got this "lovely" habit of chewing the crotch out of my dirty underwear and pants...not my husband's...not my step children's...just mine. She would knock over the clothes hamper to get to them. Luckily, she's not AS destructive as she used to be. However, I should get to my real point. I love my dogs to death. They're the greatest things in my world right now. And I think that any animal, not just dogs, are great for people to have around their home (unless they're allergic, of course). There have been studies done on the elderly on the effects of owning pets. These studies have shown that people who own pets live longer and are physically independent longer than people who don't own pets. Maybe it has to do with the exercise they get from walking their dogs. Maybe it's just that they're happier because they have someone or something that shows them unconditional love. I don't have that answer (yet), but I do think that animals have a definite positive effect on the lives of humans.