Researchers: “Our meta-analysis suggests that dog ownership warrants further investigation as a lifestyle intervention given the positive association with longer survival.”

Here’s some tail wagging-ly good news for dog owners: People who own a dog tend to live longer and are less likely to die early of heart disease than those who do not own a dog, according to a Canadian study published this month in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

A second study — a meta-analysis conducted by Swedish researchers and published in the same journal — found that owning a dog is associated with an additional positive health outcome: a longer life after a heart attack or stroke. That benefit was particularly strong for people who live alone.

These studies weren’t designed to determine why having a canine pet may be linked to a healthier heart and a longer life, but other research has suggested a variety of factors — most notably the daily walks that dogs demand of their owners.

After all, exercising a dog exercises the owner, too.