Health Magazine confirms what dog owners already know–that owning a dog is good for your health. In addition to the companionship, unconditional love and the joys they bring to our lives, studies show that dog ownership is bound to lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and increase your life expectancy.

“The breadth and depth of what dogs do to benefit humans’ happiness and longevity is pretty remarkable,” says judge Marty Becker, DVM, author of The Healing Power of Pets.

Part of this could be attributed to the fact that dogs make get up off our butts and play, move around and exercise, but I think dogs also reduce our stress and anxiety levels; they show us how to just be happy with what we’ve got.

Add to that the role dogs play as service companions and the ways that they are contributing to medicine—from detecting cancer, providing hope for autistic children, and comforting psychiatric patients—and there’s really no argument that owning a dog has a positive impact on your health and your quality of life.

My favorite part from the article?

What kind of dog is best? Dr. Becker especially sings the praises of small, mixed-breed shelter pups.

Um, hello? That’s Maisey to a T! Not that I needed a doctor to tell me that she’s the perfect dog, but the small shelter mutt shout-out sure is amiable.

Maisey helped me through a difficult transition in my life. What exactly her presence did for me is indescribable, but I’ll never doubt the power and beauty of having a dog in my life.