Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation Announces Executive Director

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a $79,000 grant to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for a new study, The Effect of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Preoperative Anxiety and Dose of Sedation in Children. This study will examine the effect of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) on children’s anxiety levels and sedation medication dosages prior to surgery. “The goal of this study is to determine if interaction with a therapy dog 20 minutes prior to surgery has a significant effect on reducing a child’s anxiety levels and, in turn, lowering the dose of medication necessary for sedation,” said the study’s principal investigator, Zenithson Y. Ng, DVM, MS, College of Veterinary Medicine at University of Tennessee. “The results of this study may be further used to justify and advocate for AAI in various medical situations and open doors for additional research on measurable medical outcomes associated with AAI.” The three-year, cross-over-designed study on behalf of the veterinary college’s Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and Biomedical and Diagnostics Sciences will examine 72 children between the ages of 2 and 17 and randomly determine whether the child receives a therapy dog or an iPad tablet 20 minutes before sedation. Dr. Ng and co-investigators Julia Albright, DVM, MA and Marcy Souza, DVM, MPH, will then evaluate heart rate, blood pressure and medicine levels for sedation and compare the amounts of each group. It is expected that children provided with a therapy dog prior to surgery will have significantly lower preoperative anxiety and will require a decreased amount of medication for sedation compared to children who do not interact with a therapy dog. “Scientific research has shown that therapy dogs in hospital settings can have a calming effect, ease stress and provide reassurance to patients young and old, and to their families as well,” said HABRI Executive Director...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced a new grant to research the impact of adopting small animals on pet owner wellbeing. This grant was awarded to a team of researchers led by Principal Investigator Professor Carri Westgarth, Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool. This project will use surveys with owners of small pets to examine changes to the owner’s mental and physical wellbeing after the adoption of rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice from a shelter. Researchers will also conduct in-depth interviews with owners of these types of pets, gaining further insight into the human-animal bond and the pet adoption process. “Current research is often focused on dog and cat ownership, and the evidence base regarding health impacts from owning small furry pets is less well developed,” said Carri Westgarth, the Principal Investigator of this study. “Our research will help uncover the impact of owning small furry pets and the experiences people have adopting them from shelters, which we hope will help shelters guide and support successful small pet adoptions.” This study has two parts. In part one, researchers will conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 30 pet owners to examine perceptions and experiences of owning a small pet on owner wellbeing. In part two, researchers will conduct a longitudinal cohort study of 450 new pet owners, following up with participants at 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months after adoption from Woodgreen Pets Charity and other shelters. This will track how the human-animal bond develops over time and measure changes in owners’ psychological, social, and physical health. Researchers expect to find adoption of small shelter pets will lead to positive changes in health outcomes, which will be further enhanced in new pet owners. “Human-animal bond research should include all pet species,” said Steven Feldman, President, HABRI. “HABRI is proud to support research to...

(Washington, D.C.) June 6, 2018 The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) have teamed up develop a handbook focused on helping senior center administrators incorporate pet-friendly programming and policies into their facilities. The handbook, Older Adults and Animal Programming, provides an overview of the scientific research that demonstrates the benefits of human-animal interaction, and a path forward for senior centers looking to develop or expand animal programming. HABRI and NISC first conducted a survey of senior center administrators from across the country to gauge interest in animal programming. A large majority of senior centers surveyed allowed animals in some way, with many senior centers expressing a strong desire for more pet-friendly programs and policies. Responses were received from 113 NISC-member senior center administrators from across America. Of the 28% of respondents that had a current therapy animal program, significant positive health benefits for participants were reported: Improved social interaction 71% Improved mental health 48% Increased physical activity 35% “Scientific research demonstrates the benefits of the human-animal bond for healthy aging – from reducing blood pressure to encouraging social interaction to reducing stress and depression,” said HABRI Executive Director, Steven Feldman. “With this handbook and through our strategic partnership with NCOA and NISC, we can increase opportunities for seniors to experience the healing power of the human-animal bond.” “Only 32% of the senior centers that responded to the survey reported having pet policies in place, so we feel the handbook is a timely and important opportunity to have conversations about the added value that pet programming can provide to the lives of seniors and staff alike,” said Maureen O’Leary, Program Manager for NISC. “We’re excited to provide this excellent...