Spending time with animals reduces blood pressure, improves wellbeing and has even been found to help alleviate behavioural problems.
And a new service has now launched where people with pets can share these benefits with those without them - as well as pocketing a fair bit of cash.
Now owners can hire our their four-footed friends to those in need through online services marketplace Bark.com , for a minimum of an hour, to help with stress, anxiety or behavioural problems.
Bark.com co-founder Kai Feller said: “We are a country of animal lovers, and with research proving the health benefits of interacting with them, and a host of amazing pets out there, it made sense to expand our current therapy offering with Comfort Pets.
“Many people appreciate and understand the benefits of spending time with animals, but for some it’s not always possible. We also want to make sure we offer a wide variety of pets, in part so the service can be completely tailored to each individual that uses it, but also to combat the rise in animal allergies in the UK.
"Everyone should be able to benefit from spending time with their very own Comfort Pet, no matter their circumstances.”
And the pet owners themselves can get a fair bit out of it too - with rates of £50 an hour - and can include home and office visits, or onsite visits where participants travel to the pet’s location.
Participants can also choose between group or one-to-one sessions, depending on the pet and its owner.
It's also open to owners of any species of pet - from dogs and cats through to farm animals and more exotic options such as lizards, snakes or stick insects.
The owner does need to be present during the sessions, and demonstrate they have full control of their pet at all times.
Bark.com also recommends pets and owners meet participants to agree what will be covered in the session beforehand to make sure their pet is comfortable - as well as agreeing what's considered inappropriate behaviour by both parties.
