To mark National Pet Day, we asked for pictures of your pets and received hundreds of responses.
National Pet Day has been celebrated on April 11 since 2006.
The occasion was created by Colleen Paige, an animal welfare advocate who wanted to celebrate pets and to bring attention to the needs of many waiting in shelters to be adopted.
Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health and its partners has shown that owning a pet can contribute to our overall cardiovascular health by lowering cortisol, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels.
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