They strengthen your microbiome

Gluten. Nuts. Pollen. It seems everyone’s allergic to something. But, per a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, growing up around pets alters your body on a microbial level, so you’re less likely to develop allergies as you age. As far as pet allergies, well, they’ll simply never develop in the first place. A subset of study participants grew up on farms—none of them had allergies to pets.