Another reason to get a dog

The hygiene hypothesis holds that children exposed to infections, farming environments, other children – basically germs – have lower rates of allergies and asthma.

Here’s more evidence for the hypothesis: A new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that a dog at home in the first year of life was linked with a reduction in itchy skin rashes and enhanced production of an immune system hormone with anti-inflammatory properties. The researchers followed 285 children from birth to one year.

They did not find the same effect for cats.