When you’re at home and your parents aren’t home and you need someone to talk to, a pet can save the day. Whether a dog, cat, horse, hamsters, ferrets, frogs or fish, any pet can lend a listening ear when you need to talk. A pet can be your best friend, you can read to them, and you can jam to music with them and they can happily sleep at the foot of your bed, blessed by your presence.

If pets can reduce the stress levels in stockbrokers, then they can reduce stress in kids. Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo studied 48 stockbrokers who were taking medication for hypertension. When they were given a pet, the stress level went down by half. So by having a pet, it can reduce stress while providing a best friend.