People who walk their own dogs get more exercise.

So that's why the say a dog is a man's best friend!

Your pet just might make you healthier, according to a new study from Michigan State University. People who owned and walked their dogs are 34 percent more likely to get enough physical exercise.

"Walking is the most accessible form of physical activity available to people," epidemiologist Mathew Reeves said. "What we wanted to know was if dog owners who walked their dogs were getting more physical activity or if the dog-walking was simply a substitute for other forms of activity."

The researchers found that those who walked their own dogs got an hour more exercise each week than those who paid someone to take out their pooch. Another factoid of interest to our audience: younger people tended to be get more dog-related fitness than middle aged adults.

"Obviously you would expect dog walkers to walk more, but we found people who walked their dog also had higher overall levels of both moderate and vigorous physical activities," Reeves said. "There appears to be a strong link between owning and walking a dog and achieving higher levels of physical activity, even after accounting for the actual dog walking."

Reeves argued that public health campaigns should be launched that "promote the responsible ownership of a dog."

Do you think the public's money should be spent on promoting dog ownership? Discuss below.

Dog walker image courtesy of Flickr user "Ed Yourdon," CC 2.0