Research suggests canine companions can be good for your health. Studies show people are more relaxed in the presence of a friendly pet. Owners suffer comparatively fewer headaches, backaches, colds or insomnia. As well, pet owners have lower heart attack risk and lower blood pressure and cholesterol than those without four-legged friends.

Descended from wolves, dogs are pack animals that thrive in social groups. They’re used for hunting, guarding, herding and for search-and-rescue operations. Most popularly, they’re companions that offer unconditional loyalty.

Here are some quotes about man’s best friend:

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"Whoever said you can’t buy happiness forgot little puppies."

-- Gene Hill

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear."

-- Dave Barry

"It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog."

-- Mark Twain

"Life is like a dog sled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes."

-- Lewis Grizzard

"A dog wags its tail with its heart."

-- Martin Buxbaum

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

-- Bern Williams

"I poured spot remover on my dog. Now he’s gone."

-- Steven Wright

"Money will buy a pretty good dog but it won’t buy the wag of his tail."

-- Josh Billings

"What do you get when you cross an insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic? Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is a dog."

-- Groucho Marx

"Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job."

-- Franklin P. Jones