It’s not just the elderly and those with health challenges who benefit from owning a pet — the American Psychological Association reports that pets serve as important sources of social and emotional support for everyone.  The report, published this week, found that pet owners were just as close to their animals as they were to key people in their lives and often put their pets ahead of relationships with other people.  “… pet owners fared better than non-owners and had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were more extroverted, tended to be less fearful and tended to be less preoccupied than non-owners,” said lead researcher Allen R. McConnell, PhD, of Miami University in Ohio.  The Humane Society says there are 77.5 million owned dogs and 93.6 million owned cats in the United States.  In 2010, Americans spent $48.35 billion on their four-footed friends, reports the American Pet Products Association. — Joyce