Sydney - People with companion animals are like people with companion humans: happier, healthier and longer-lived, says Melbourne researcher Tim Rogers.

While the standard logic is that pet owners get out more, and so are fitter because they take more exercise, Rogers says it has more to do with the quality of the outing than simply the cardiovascular benefits of being at one end of a leash.

"Most researchers are now converging on the idea that it's the sense of emotional closeness and support that pets provide that is behind their stress-busting power," he said. "It now appears that animal companions benefit our lives in much the same way as do human companions."

Simone Maher, a veterinarian with animal welfare group Royal Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), also has evidence that dogs can indeed be our best friends.

Recent RSPCA research in Australia found that more than a third of people would sooner dump their partner than their pet.

"An astounding 86.8 per cent said they would choose their pet over their friends or flat-mate," Maher said.

Only one third of 200 respondents to the survey said their partner understood them better than their pet did. "In fact, almost a quarter of respondents wished their partner was like their pet," she said. (dpa)