Introduction: Pet ownership in America has more than tripled since the 1970s, when approximately 67 million households owned pets. In 2012, approximately 164 million families owned pets. (The Humane Society, 01/30/14) So why do so many people love having a pet, or more specifically a dog? Research shows that the presence of a dog has improved people's physical, emotional, cognitive and social well-being. (Rider, 5/22/12) Blood pressure is a way to measure a person's well-being, and studies show that dogs can help lower blood pressure. There are two different measurements: systolic and diastolic blood pressure. When your heart beats, it contracts and pushes blood through the arteries to the rest of the body. This creates pressure on the arteries through force. This type of blood pressure is systolic and should be below 120. When the heart rests between beats, the blood pressure measured is called diastolic, the bottom number, and should be below 80 (WebMD, 2005-2014). tests to determine whether petting a dog could reduce stress levels. (Scott, 11/18/13) How to measure the stress on a person's body would be to take their blood pressure. So the lab's goal would be to be able to show that when a test subject pets a dog for a certain amount of time, their blood pressure drops. To show these results, measure the person's blood pressure before and after petting the dog. This lab's hypothesis is that when a test subject pets a dog for a duration of three minutes, a relatively short duration, their blood pressure will decrease. decreases further. The second part of the hypothesis is that the person's pulse rate will also decrease. This hypothesis is credible because research shows that people...... middle of paper ......-ownership-of-a-dog-friend-is-proven-to-reduce-pressure -arterial-other-health-risks.htmlhttp://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/119-lof-scroller-articles-12-05-22/590-mans-best -friend-dog-ownership-proven-to-reduce-blood-tension -other-health-risks.html>.Scott, Elizabeth . “Health Benefits of Pets: How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress.” About.com Stress management. About.com, November 18, 2013. Web. April 22, 2014. “Blood Pressure Numbers and Readings.” WebMD. WebMD and Web. April 23, 2014. “Animals in numbers”. RSS. The Humane Society, January 30, 2014. Web. April 22. 2014. .