Basic Sciences Bldg. 2001 S. Lincoln Ave. An estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of these people enjoy the companionship of a pet. Pets provide many psychological boosts, especially to people in difficult circumstances.
Pets offer dependable love and affection.
They provide amusement. They facilitate interaction with other people. Most important, pets need their owners, which requires the owners to take care of themselves. Studies have shown that people who share their lives with pets have higher morale, lower rates of depression, and lower blood pressure and make fewer visits to their doctor. Having a compromised immune system leaves people susceptible to many opportunistic infections, and animals are a potential source of infection.