Maybe you should toss your DOG a few extra pieces of turkey this Thanksgiving, because they deserve it…for saving your life.  Or at least extending it.

Yes, a huge new study out of Sweden has looked, now, at the medical records of 3.4 million people…and has found that dog owners tend to live longer than other people. Seems any time you visit a hospital in Sweden, it gets entered into a database–and registering your dog is mandatory there, too–so the statistics are pretty solid–and they show that dog owners are less likely to die of a heart attack–or any other reason–than people without dogs–and it’s especially true if you’re single. Over the course of 12 years, people who lived alone were 33% less likely to die if they owned a dog.  And it was 11% for dog owners who didn’t live alone.

It’s not clear why owning a dog extends your life, but researchers think there are two main benefits:  Dogs expose you to more types of bacteria, which strengthens your immune system. And you also likely to get more exercise.

[Editor’s note: The study also found that CAT owners are 37% more likely to be murdered in their sleep. So stay vigilant.]