Fido cannot prevent owner's heart attack.

• Position: Pets - Research into whether owning a pet has positive effect on owners cardiovascular health - Brief Article

Can the presence of Fido or Fluffy calm an owner's stress, as some studies have suggested? Or is the science as fuzzy as Fifi's coat? Karen Allen, research scientist at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.), in reviewing evidence relating to pets and cardiovascular responses, concludes that a beloved cat or dog can have a positive effect on cardiovascular health, but individuals should not stop taking their heart medicine.

Allen maintains that while a pet can be a positive factor in a person's life, claims that "pets lower blood pressure" are simplistic and overstated. "Experimental studies looking at pets and responses to stress have focused on acute responses ... but other epidemiological...