Contrary to popular belief, having a pet does not improve the mental or physical health of children.
At least that's what one Rand Corporation study suggests.
Researchers looked at thousands of households with and without pets. They found that pet-owning families had better overall health.
But when researchers considered over a hundred other variables like income, housing and language skills those health advantages disappeared.
Experts say future research could look at the longer-term effects of owning a pet.
