As Thanksgiving approaches we are often reminded that we should be thankful for what we have - friends, family, home, and hearth. But perhaps we should also take stock of why we should be thankful for our pets. Our furry friends bring us such joy throughout the year. Besides the happiness (and occasional anxiety) that pet-ownership brings, there are also numerous health benefits to living with an animal companion.

Whether your pet is a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, or ferret, studies have found that people with pets have lower blood pressure and lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than the pet-less. Pets, it seems, are preventative medicine against heart attacks, high blood pressure, and a range of stress-related disorders. Pets definitely make are lives fuller and studies suggest that they could in fact make our lives a bit longer.

Pet owners have higher one-year survival rates following the diagnosis of severe coronary heart disease. And, studies have found that having a furry friend may in fact decrease heart attack mortality by as much as 3%. Many nursing homes and extended care facilities throughout the U.S. now have pet-programs that allow residents to interact with either resident pets or schedule regular visits from volunteer cats, dogs, and bunnies. In New York, Missouri, and Texas, a program that brought plants and pets into long-term care facilities found that medication costs had dropped considerably (from $3.80 per day per patient to $1.18 per day) once the folks there got some hands-on time with loving animals. A study of Medicare patients found that seniors with dogs had fewer trips to the doctor than those that did not and that those with pets consider themselves happier and less stressed.

Children who live with animals during the first few years of life are less likely to develop allergic rhinitis and asthma. Benefits have also been found in child psychological development and the long-term development of friendships and positive self-esteem.

In other words, people who share space with a little furry face are just plain happier. But, then, I probably didn't have to tell you that! Anyone who lives with a cat or dog (or a ferret, fish, rabbit, gerbil) knows that animals are a joy. They entertain us with their hi-jinks. They bless us with their sympathy. They restore us with their calm and their eternal optimism. Who can be sad around a cat with a toy mouse? Who can help but smile when you see your dog playing with a cardboard box or jumping for treats? Whether you're eight or eighty or somewhere in between there's nothing like having a pet to remind you just how wonderful life really is. Our pets enrich all lives in so many ways and ask for so very little. This Thanksgiving remember to be thankful for your furry friend, as well as all those other things.

Here are a couple of tasty treats for your furry friends to enjoy this Thanksgiving, as well as a reminder that the treats you enjoy may not be suitable for your pets. Bones can be a choking hazard and many spices are irritants to dogs and cats. In general, it's best to let your pet enjoy their own Thanksgiving dinner and not to share your own.

Peanutbutter Dog Biscuits

1 c. whole wheat flour

½ tsp. Baking powder

½ c. chunky peanut butter

½ c. milk

½ c. oats

¼ c. bacon crumbles or crumbled dog treats

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, milk, oats, and crumbles. Work in peanut butter slowly. Roll into balls place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Kitty's Crunchy Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup milk

1 tsp. Catnip

1 egg

1/3 c. milk

2 tbsp. Butter (softened)

¼ cup crunchy cat food

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients and stir in egg, butter, milk, and crunchy cat food. Once thoroughly mixed, scoop up teaspoon size dollops and drop on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with a fork and bake 15-20 minutes. These can be stored in an airtight container 1-2 weeks or frozen. Serves several treat-crazy cats.