Pet dogs can keep pregnant women healthy

If you're looking for the perfect present to keep a pregnant woman happy and healthy, how about a Puppy?

Sound unlikely? New research from the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, in collaboration with the Universities of Bristol, Liverpool and South Carolina, has found that pregnant women withpet dogs are more physically active than those without, reducing their risk of gaining excess weight in pregnancy, reports the Daily Mail.

The research, which studied data on over 11,000 pregnant women in the UK, found that owning a pet dog made it around 50% more likely that a pregnant woman would attain her recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day. Other than dog walking, yoga and swimming are excellent ways to exercise in pregnancy.

Dr Sandra McCune, of the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, said: '"We are increasingly seeing that exercising with a dog can lead to improved motivation and effectiveness.

"As a low-risk exercise, dog walking can help women who may otherwise find it hard to meet their exercise targets, keep active and fit during pregnancy."

Plus, there's the added bonus of caring for another life - so owning a dog is kind of like training for motherhood.