The Benefits of Having a Pet

Pets are animals that people keep for their own pleasure or to provide comfort. They include dogs, cats, birds, fish, and other mammals. The animals are usually kept as companions, and may live indoors or outdoors in a hutch or paddock. Other kinds of animals, such as reptiles and insects, are also kept as pets. The first pet was probably a small wild animal that was tamed and raised by humans, says David Larson, a professor of biology at the...