My whole life I have been surrounded by pets. Living with pets was always a normal thing for me so when I moved to Copenhagen a few weeks ago without any of my beloved furry friends it really hit me that my life would be without pet perks for the next several months. After having looked at all the pictures I have of all my pets on my phone (and asking my mom to send me new ones) I knew I needed to take it one step further, so here I am outlining the very real perks of living with pets so those of you who are playing with you dog or petting your cat right now can take a moment to reflect on how lucky you truly are.

Pet Perk #1: Health! Recent studies have concluded that being raised in a home with pets may help decrease the chances of developing allergies. Furthermore, living with pets and chronic, long term exposure to a pet’s fur may actually help to build your immune system making you less susceptible to the common cold or that nasty flu being passed around at school. Turns out napping on a couch with some dog fur or finding a piece of cat hair in your food is actually a good things.

Pet Perk #2: Stress Relief! Just a few days before beginning my sophomore year of college, my roommates and I decided to adopt ourselves a kitten. Despite the strict “no pet” policy of our dorms, we couldn’t resist the prospect of adding an adorable kitten to our already awesome friend circle. That was, undoubtedly, the best decision any of us made all year! Louisa May (the puuuuurfect kitty pictured below) not only brought us hours of entertainment and quality snapchat material, but she also provided us with more stress relief than we could have imagined. In the dark Michigan winter, straddled with neverending coursework, my roommates and I would work diligently knowing our reward, quality Louisa time, was waiting. Her soft purr made all night paper writing more than managable and her perky tail and sweet little face waiting for you at the door turned around the horrible mood an 8:30 am class puts you in.

Pet Perk #3: Caretakers! I think pets secretly like when you’re feeling a bit under the weather and choose to spend the day in bed. Cats like the excuse to lounge all day, dogs love that their beloved owner has “chosen” to spend the whole day with them. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about getting your fur babies sick!

Pet Perk #4: Gossip! Pets are the BEST secret keepers! For one, they can’t tell anyone anything you have said, and secondly, they don’t expect you to keep any of their secrets in return (except for maybe the fact that you watched them eat your sister’s leftovers but chose to blame it on your brother instead). In addition to being the best gossip partner, you can dump all your negative feelings on your dog while you’re out walking or on your cat when you’re tucked into bed and, unlike a human friend, you don’t have to ask them how they’re doing. All about you, all the time!

Pet Perk #5: Friendship! The most obvious but also the most important, pets are the most loyal and wonderful friends anyone could ever have. They demand so little, yet give so much.

In conclusion, I feel so sorry for those of you reading this who don’t have any pets and therefore don’t have any pet perks in your life. I 10/10 would recommend going right now and adopting (shameless plug: adopt don’t shop!) a wonderful fur baby of your very own so you can experience all these pet perks and the many others I haven't listed. If you aren't quite ready to adopt but want to experience all pets have to offer, head over to my house, we have two dogs and four cats (the adorable models in all my pictures) who would love to show you what all the hype is about!