Vegetarian Star

Jenny Garth‘s marriage to Twilight saga dad Peter Facinelli has ended after 11 years and the former 90210 star has found comfort in the company of animals to help her through the transition.

Garth and her children have moved into a Los Olivos ranch with four dogs, two goats, five cats, two small horses and a pig.

“Having all these animals fills a void for me because I’m kind of going through a rough time right now,” she said on the debut of her new show, “Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country.” “The animals give you unconditional love, and that feels good.”

“I think that my animals give me a sense of relief, like they make me feel like none of that other bull**** matters,” Garth continued. “When you look into their eyes, and they look back at you, and they don’t want anything, they just want love. Whether I’m successful or not, whether I’m fat or thin, if I’m nice or if I’m not nice, they still love me.”

Garth has discovered a phenomenon that’s been shown time and time through research–taking care of animals increases our ability to care for ourselves. Consider these studies, courtesy of WebMD:

• A study in Social Indicators Research found women, aged 25-40 in China that owned dogs exercised more often, slept better and reported better fitness levels and fewer sick days and saw their doctors less often than women who did not.
• Social Science & Medicine reported that Australian pet owners interacted more with neighbors than non-owners, suggesting pets help us communicate better with our two-legged friends.
• And the Medical Journal of Australia published findings that suggested pet owners had lower blood pressure and fat levels than non-owners.

Photo: Albert Domasin/Wikimedia Commons

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