The idea that the presence of an animal is used to improve well-being and health has been around for thousands of years . In the 18th century, pets were used to meet multiple mental and physical needs. (Solomon, 2010) The hypothesis is that participants who own dogs will report lower overall stress levels than those who do not own dogs as pets. The researcher's objective is to compare overall stress reports between participants who own a dog and those who do not own a dog as a pet. It is believed that those who own dogs will report lower overall stress levels than those who do not own dogs as pets. Literature Review In the article titled "An examination of the relationships between social support, anthropomorphism and Stress Among Dog Owners,” Existence The multitude of benefits of owning a pet are explored. The relationship between the owners perceived their dog's social support, anthropomorphism aspect and stress level. Anthropomorphism is defined as “the attribution of human states (thoughts, feelings, motivations and beliefs) to non-human animals”. This was also considered to include regarding the animal as a family member or close friend, assigning it a family role such as baby or grandfather, dressing it in clothing and the owner of the animal to assume the role of mother or father of the animal. (Duvall & Pychyl, 2008) In addition to emotional connections, some researchers have found a link between "pet ownership and various health measures, including heart rate, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and poor functioning." health problems for the general population” (Anderson, Reid and Jennings, 1992). Research has also indicated that the older population who own pets and own...... middle of paper ......ces-6.aspO'Haire, M. (2010). Companion animals and human health: benefits, challenges and the road ahead. Jornal of Veterinary Behavior, 5, 226-234.Solomon, O. (2010). What a dog can do: autistic children and therapy dogs in social interaction. Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, 38(1), 143-166. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1352.2010.01085.xWild, D.L. (2013). The impact of canine assistance for autistic children and the family unit. Thesis Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 73(8-A).Wood, LJ, Giles-Corti, B., Bulsara, MK and Bosch, DA (2007). More than a furry companion: The ripple effect of pets on neighborhood interactions and sense of community. Society and Animals, 15, 43-56. Accessed March 2, 2014, from http://www.animalsandsociety.org/assets/library/638_morethanafurrycompanion.pdf