If You Don’t Want To Get A Dog, This Touching Video Will Break Down Your Resistance

If you don’t own a dog, this video will make you want to head down to your local shelter and adopt one. If you do own a dog, well, after watching this video produced by BuzzFeed, you’ll want to spend that little bit of extra time with your canine companion.

That’s because what you’ll see in this short clip produced by BuzzFeed — and viewed over one million times within 24 hours of going on line — through their arrangement with Purina (the same deal that led to the classic Dear Kitten videos) will bring home in the most moving way just how much your dog does for you.

So why not give your dog a little bit extra in return?

In addition to the reasons to get a dog that you’ll see here, there are numerous other benefits to sharing your home, and your life, with a four-legged friend. For example, did you know that infants raised in homes with a dog — according to one recent study — are less likely to develop allergies to pets and show increased levels of immune system response?

Why would that be?

“Dogs are dirty animals, and this suggests that babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens have a stronger immune system,” said Dr. James Gern, who ran the study.

Dogs are also good for your heart. Studies have demonstrated that when you pet a pooch, your blood pressure and heart rate naturally drop. Other research shows that dog owners are more likely to survive heart attacks, and have somewhat lower cholesterol levels.

Your mental health benefits from having a companion dog, too. Even people suffering from clinical depression have shown that they get through severe depressive episodes more quickly with a dog to help them. Dogs have even in many cases proven more effective at fighting depression than anti-depressant drugs.

But in the end, the best reason to get a dog is simple. With a dog, you have a friend for life.