Ever since I remember we always had a pet dog. Having a pet is a big responsibility, they are like babies that never grow up. You have to feed them, give them a bath, take them for a walk and clean up after them (when they poop!). But, having a pet like a dog means you have a playmate, a cuddle-buddy when watching a movie and a stress reliever.
To parents, there even has been a study that exposure to cats and dogs while a child is in utero or just a few months old was associated with roughly a 14% lower risk of them having a food allergy later on in life. This was published in March by PLOS One study.