As humans were need connection. We have always relied on each other and built family units and communities. Our oldest connection is to each other. We knew we needed to bond with our fellow humans to survive and really thrive.

But what about our second oldest connection and relationship? This relationship was with a creature that had way more hair than us and walked on four legs instead of two.

Before we raised cattle and before we started farming our own food. Before we had written language or even lived in dwellings we lived with dogs.

Science shows we’ve been living with dogs for at least 15,000 years some evidence says it’s been much longer and closer to 30,000 years. How exactly it happened is also still up for debate. Did we take wolf pups and raise them with us to make them tame? Or did some of the wolves start hanging around us for easy picking scraps and slowly get domesticated.

How it happened may still be up for debate. However, what were do know is we were thriving as a species, and wolves were not in any danger of extinction. But for some reason we both decided we needed each other. We could survive on our own but being together made both of our lives better.

15,000 years later it’s still the same story. Our lives are better sharing it with our furry companions. We don’t need anyone to chew our shoes for us, or to pee on the carpet. We don’t need to stand outside in the pouring rain just waiting to put some poop in a plastic bag. Yet we do it and our lives are better for it.

We don’t know what our ancient ancestors saw as the reason for taking these furry friends into their families but we do have some answers now as to the benefits of having pets in the house. Dogs and cats have the most research around them and that research shows some big benefits to having them around.

People who take care of animals generally have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, less stress and have less frequent doctor visits. Children that are raised with dogs or cats in the home have less asthma and allergies as they grow up than kids raised without pets in the home.

We’ve been using working dogs on farms and to help us hunt for years. However they don’t have to be working dogs to provide us with benefit. They don’t even need to be our own pet to help us. Studies have shown bringing animals into hospitals and nursing homes has significant benefits. The visiting animals provide comfort and companionship to the people they are visiting and studies have shown patients get better quicker and have more positive views of their time in the hospital. Adults in nursing homes report the same benefits.

So give your furry friends an extra pat and be sure to thank them for all they do for us. Maybe the ancient Egyptians were on to something worshiping their cats.