Dog ownership actually can provide a variety of health benefits.

They can reduce your risk of eczema

Dog Health Benefits ! Many parents worry about exposing young children to dogs, fearing it could trigger allergy or eczema reactions. However, preliminary research showed that children were significantly less likely to develop eczema by age 4 if they began mingling with dogs at infancy.

The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2011, followed 636 children and found the rate of eczema was lower among kids who lived with a family dog. In fact, even for kids sensitive to dog allergens, having a dog did not increase their risk of developing eczema.

But before you rush out to get a dog for your kid, keep in mind that more research still needs to be done in this area. Previous research has shown that dogs can also increase the risk of asthma in some kids.

They can help you during seizures

The duties of a seizure dog are similar to those of a seeing-eye dog to help their owners navigate day-to-day activities, and steer them away from harmful situations. There are many organizations in the United States that train seizure dogs. In most cases, these dogs are trained to recognize subtle behavior or body language changes during seizure events.

But some believe that the dogs are perceptive enough to warn their owners of oncoming attacks, allowing the owners to take seizure-blocking medication, get to a safe place or call for assistance. However, there are very few scientific studies supporting the idea that dogs can detect epileptic seizures ahead of time.

According to two articles in the journal Neurology in 2007, studies on seizure dogs were vulnerable to reporting bias because most relied on patient and family reports of dog and patient behavior. Despite such anecdotes, the study said, some dogs were more likely to respond to psychological seizures, which stem from emotional difficulties and are different than epileptic seizures. In a case cited by the paper, a dog actually triggered a nonepileptic seizure by licking its owner's face.

Although some researchers have cast doubt that dogs are able to alert owners to seizures, most researchers agree that a dog can at the very least provide important support and companionship for patients with epilepsy.

They can steer you away from foods that you're allergic to

Some dogs are good at sniffing out illicit substances and bombs. However, it appears that other dogs' olfactory prowess is better used in detecting allergens.

For people whose peanut allergies are so severe that even miniscule residues in the air can trigger an allergic reaction, a peanut detection dog can come in handy, according to according to training facilities such as the Florida Canine Academy. These dogs, after going through vigorous training, can detect the trace presence of peanuts in a room, such as a cookie left on the table or a candy bar hidden in a lunch bag.

Owners with peanut allergies still have to be vigilant about peanut contaminations in food, and should always carry an epinephrine pen in case of emergencies. However, peanut-detecting dogs can help ease their minds.

They can help you rehabilitate from illnesses

In fact, that is the concept behind many pet visitation programs at hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Therapy dogs can encourage mobility, interpersonal contact and socialization among patients. According to a 2005 review in the British Medical Journal, dogs act as "social catalysts," leading to greater interaction between people and alleviating feelings of loneliness, especially among elderly patients with physical disabilities.

Dog owners are also better at dealing with stressful events, and therefore helping them avoid anxiety-related illnesses, the study said.

Although some studies have suggested that dog owners are significantly less likely to die within one year of a heart attack than those who did not own dogs, those studies were based on a small sample and weren't population-based.