Limiting the praise of dog ownership to 5 good reasons is a hard task for any dog lover because there seem to be thousands of reasons why sharing your life with a dog is far better than being without one. On the other hand, those that oppose a life as a dog owner may easily find the same number of reasons why owning a dog is bad for you. But their opinion is not what you are looking for in this article and so I shall not point out the reasons that go against getting a pooch.

Instead, here are the reasons why getting a dog is good for you:

1. A dog is someone who will love you unconditionally. He does not care for your status, the color of your hair, he does not mind whether you are rich or poor, pretty or ugly, old or young. To your dog you are always perfect and beautiful and he lets you know every day how happy he is to be with you.

2. A dog is someone who is there for you when all the world seems to have left, when your friends have turned against you and the wind blows hard into your face. No matter what, your friend is always at your side, giving you comfort when it's most needed.

3. A dog is someone who makes sure that you get enough exercise and fresh air because that is what he needs to be happy. If you aspire to be a good dog owner which you surely will be doing you will go for at least one long walk a day. This is good for your own health and overall fitness.

4. A dog encourages people to play and makes them happy by doing funny things.

5. Being responsible for another being is of benefit for your emotional health, no matter how old you are but especially so if you happen to be a teenager or elderly person.

There are more benefits to owning a dog and some of them are scientifically proven. One of the greatest benefits lies in the fact that people who own dogs seem to be more socially accessible than people without a dog.

Psychologists conducted an experiment involving two young women sitting on a bench in the park, one of them with, the other one without a dog.

As it turned out, the one with the dog was spoken to by far more people than the lady without the dog.

So, if you want to meet more people, become more active and certainly a lot less lonely, you should consider a dog.

But remember: Dogs are very sociable and they need plenty of time together with their people - so only get a dog if you have enough time and if you are willing to adjust your lifestyle to responsible dog ownership.