comes to animals, having one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Who can

resist those puppy dog eyes, that cuddly kitten or that fluffy bunny? Not us. Pets not only

give us companionship, they provide an amazing boost to our health and well-being. Isn't

that right, Toes? Yeah. No matter what our age, when it comes to keeping us healthy,

pets are worth their weight in gold. Dr Joe Salmon from Deakin University, has the research

to prove it. DR SALMON: What we've found is that if children have a dog, they're actually

significantly less likely to be overweight or obese, 40 percent less likely, in fact.

And so, you know, for older adults, it's really important for older adults to keep moving,

particularly walking. I mean, walking is one of the main activities that older adults should

be doing, so that they can continue to live independent and really fulfilling lives. DR

WARREN: Laurel Martin is the first to admit that her life would be extremely lonely without

her partner, Little Pie. LAUREL: Well, she fills a lot of gaps. She's very good. She

makes up for quite a lot I've done. She's someone there for me and who cares for me,

and I care for her, and we have a lovely time together. DR WARREN: Laurel is one of the

Australian dance world's most loved and revered figures. Her daily dance routines are now

strictly supervised by Little Pie. LAUREL: She loves it. She's very good at doing pirouettes.

She does run, run, run, run, and as I point out to the students, she doesn't fall over,

so she knows where her centre of balance is. DR WARREN: They certainly are a perfect match.

You see, Laurel, her late husband, and Little Pie share an unusual similarity. Now, she's

got a problem with a vision hasn't she, or one eye? LAUREL: Well, she had - - had to

have the eye removed at the hospital, so she's a one eyed monster like I am. And, my husband

was and - - DR WARREN: It's a bit of a bizarre coincidence, isn't it? LAUREL: Yes. DR WARREN:

And, what an inspiration. Laurel says a life filled with pets is one of the secrets to

staying young. LAUREL: She really makes me do the right things. You know, she's very

strict with me. NURSE: Good girl, let's go. Go and see someone else. DR WARREN: For the

sick, animals play an important role in recovery. Many hospitals are now successfully using

animal visits as part of their therapy. NURSE: Oh, that tickled. DR WARREN: Pets are great

for kids, and research indicates that children with pets may be less likely to suffer allergies.

Pets also teach important lessons about friendship, responsibility and care. But, introducing

pets to children does take time. Kids are very curious, and often aggravate animals,

no matter how docile they are, so it's essential you never leave a pet unsupervised with a

child. This is Anthony. Isn't he gorgeous? He loves animals too. Don't you mate, hey?

Just like us, pets take time to adjust to change, so before bringing home a new born

make sure your pooch is prepared. Get them used to the sights and sounds that come with

kids and make sure you start doing this well before your due date to make the transition

less traumatic for all of you. DR WARREN: Budgie, come. When I was pregnant I made sure

to get Toby and Archie into the routine of walking with the pram. Good boy. Stop. Sit.

Yes. Good boy. And now that my beautiful young Charlotte is here walking the dog, it's a

breeze. Come on, Tubs, let's go. Pets are also a fantastic way to meet new friends.

They're a great icebreaker, and always the perfect topic of conversation, and that's

exactly how this group met. Their love of dogs brought them all together and their chance

meeting in the park has turned into a daily get together. Do you think more people talk

to you when you've got a dog? DOG OWNER: Oh, no doubt. Like, my wife's friends are single

ones. They quite often want to take him for a walk because it's - - you know, they find

it, you know, a bit of a conversation starter, and I think their strike rate's good, actually,

with going around on a lead, so, yeah. DR WARREN: Now, if a new medication hit the market

that provided the same benefits our pets do, it would no doubt be hailed a medical miracle,

and I love nothing better than my daily dose of Toby tonic. Hi-five, Yeah. Thank you. - - - Transcript

by Luminaire Pictures luminairepictures.com | info@luminairepictures.com Page PAGE \\* MERGEFORMAT

gd!* gd!* gd- gd!* gd!* gd!* }l}l]l}Y hp>F [Content_Types].xml #!MB ;c=1 _rels/.rels

theme/theme/themeManager.xml sQ}# theme/theme/theme1.xml G$$DA : BR {i5@R V*[_X ,l\\Y Ssd+r] 5\\|E Vky-

V4Ej 6NGU s?^V *<")QH @\\&> 7;wP EBU` 5<V8 LStf+] C9P^ wB>VD GGHPXNT, /M,W m2iU [[v _Xtl

theme/theme/_rels/themeManager.xml.rels 6?$Q K(M&$R(.1 [Content_Types].xmlPK _rels/.relsPK

theme/theme/themeManager.xmlPK theme/theme/theme1.xmlPK theme/theme/_rels/themeManager.xml.relsPK

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?> <a:clrMap xmlns:a="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/drawingml/2006/main"

bg1="lt1" tx1="dk1" bg2="lt2" tx2="dk2" accent1="accent1" accent2="accent2" accent3="accent3" accent4="accent4"

accent5="accent5" accent6="accent6" hlink="hlink" folHlink="folHlink"/> Adrian Normal.dotm Microsoft

Macintosh Word NTEU Title Microsoft Word 97-2004 Document NB6W Word.Document.8