With St. Patrick's Day here, it marks a great time to reflect on all the ways in our lives that we are lucky. For many of us, our dogs are our lucky charms. And the truth is, if you are a pet parent, you are very lucky indeed.

Here are 7 of the many ways having a pet makes you lucky:

1. Petting a dog reduces stress. 

Just petting a dog (or cat) for fifteen minutes can lower blood pressure through the release of serotonin, oxytocin, and prolactin, which lowers stress and anxiety, and it can even lower blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

2. Dogs can improve your fitness level.

Dogs can be good for our bodies because they need to be walked several times every day. This activity can help keep our hearts healthy, and our bones and muscles strong. 

3. Dogs can save your life.

Dogs can actually detect cancer in their humans! In many studies, dogs have used their keen sense of smell to recognize differences between malignant tissue and normal tissue by detecting the chemicals released from the malignant tissue. One woman noticed her pup licking her right breast obsessively and when she went to the doctors, it was discovered she had breast cancer.

4. Having a dog in your family can help prevent kids from developing allergies.

In studies, the dust associated with dogs seemed to prompt an immune response against microbes that have been linked to asthma in kids! 

5. Dogs make you laugh.

Dogs can often be goofy and are very funny. And a life full of laughter is a charmed life indeed.

6. Dogs can help you make friends.

Dogs can help us to make friends, and one recent survey showed that having pets was the third most common way people met other people in their neighborhoods, right behind just “being neighbors” and “using local streets and parks.” People with pets were a whopping 60% more likely to get to know people in their neighborhoods than people without pets.

7. Dogs provide unconditional love.

We give them a place to live, food, water, and treats, comfortable beds wherever they hang out, exercise, and affection, but they give us so much more in return —  companionship, happiness, and unconditional love. And above all, that makes us the luckiest of all.