Pumi who can't keep a secret

Dog lover and Canada's University of British Columbia professor of psychology Stanley Coren says that in the last 14,000 years, humans have tinkered with breeding so that dogs have become near-perfect companions, even members of the family. Coren, who has written numerous books about dogs, says studies have shown dogs give humans a psychological and physiological boost, as well as exercise from taking them out 8 times a day to freshen up (well, he didn't say the last one).

Among people living alone, those who have dogs are less likely to become clinically depressed and will need fewer medical services. (Bird owners, however, say that their birds drive them nuts.) Coren says another reason people confide in dogs so much is because they never betray their secrets.