American Veterinary Distributors Association Supports Human-Animal Bond Research and Education

The PAWS Act Coalition, a group of nonprofit and for-profit organizations committed to better protecting survivors of domestic violence by establishing, validating and promoting the criticality of protecting their pets, too, is informing the domestic violence shelter community of the recent announcement of the Fiscal Year 2021 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. “With the opening of the 2021 grant applications, we encourage domestic violence shelters around the country to apply for funding to become pet-friendly facilities,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. FY 2021 grants will provide emergency and transitional shelter and housing assistance or short-term shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence victims with pets, service animals, emotional support animals, or horses. Grants awarded may also be used for programs that provide support services designed to enable someone fleeing an abuser to locate and secure safe housing with their pet, safe accommodations for their pet, or related services such as transportation and other assistance. The $2.5 million appropriated for 2021 represents a $500,000 increase in funding following the success of the FY 2020 Emergency Transitional Pet Shelter Housing and Assistance Grant Program. The program awarded approximately $2 million to six organizations in six states to support transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. Grants have enabled shelters to expand housing and supportive service resources for domestic violence survivors, provide assistance including rent, pet deposits, and pet supplies to those seeking transitional housing with their pet, and more. “The first round of the PAWS Act Grant Program funding in 2020 came at a critical time to aid survivors of domestic violence seeking safe shelter and healing with their pets across the nation,” said...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Mars Petcare, with support from a broad Consortium of partners, today announced the publication of three papers in the open-access Journal Animals, part of a special issue focused on the role of companion animals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Isolation and the Roles That Animals Play in Supporting the Lives of Humans: Lessons for COVID19. The papers focus on the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in helping to alleviate loneliness and social isolation during the pandemic. These papers were authored by working group members of the Consortium on Social Isolation and Companion Animals, established by HABRI and Mars Petcare in 2018. “These publications represent a critical aspect of our Consortium effort to explore the potential of companion animals to help address the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation, which has only grown more pressing since the pandemic began,” said Steven Feldman, president of HABRI. “As these papers highlight, the human-animal bond has served as a key source of emotional and social support for so many over the last year-and-a-half, underscoring the importance of future research investigating this impact.” “Social isolation and loneliness are immense societal challenges, affecting people in many ways, which require different interventions and treatment approaches,” said Rena Crumplen, Global Vice-President of Research and Development, Mars Petcare. “These publications represent an important scientific milestone in bridging research and practice – helping bring evidence-based solutions to those affected by social isolation and making the case for multidisciplinary efforts to further the field of HAI more broadly.” The paper led by Dr. Dawn Carr, Department of Sociology, Florida State University analyzed longitudinal survey data obtained from a Florida community-based sample of adults aged 60+ in September 2018 and October 2020. Researchers set out to test the association...

Hosted by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), Pet Week on Capitol Hill will bring the power of pets to Capitol Hill, delivering the message to elected representatives that pets are important for human health and wellbeing, especially during these unprecedented times. In an effort to safeguard the health and safety of all, Pet Night on Capitol Hill, the popular, in-person annual reception has been converted to a series of virtual conversations to be held September 8-10, 2020.    “Pets have become even more important during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “Pet Week on Capitol Hill will feature conversations with Members of Congress and pet care leaders about the importance of pet ownership in America.”  In addition to a wealth of information about pets and related policies and legislation that will strengthen the human-animal bond, Pet Week will still include the much-anticipated Cutest Pets on Capitol competition! Pet Week on Capitol Hill is a free event, with all programming streaming from www.PetNight.com.   The full schedule is listed below:  Tuesday, September 8, 2020  4:00 PM EDT  Pet Nation: The Importance of Pets in America  Mark Cushing Author, Pet Nation  Steven Feldman Executive Director, HABRI    Wednesday, September 9, 2020  12 PM EDT  Lifesaving Pet-Related Legislation: A Discussion Of Important Initiatives That Will Help Keep Pets And People Safe, Healthy And Happy Together  Dr. Kurt Venator, DVM, PhD, Chief Veterinary Officer, Nestlé Purina PetCare (and his puppy Emmie)  Nicole Forsyth, President & CEO, RedRover  Nicole Lanahan, Executive Director, Got Your Six Support Dogs  4:00 PM EDT  One Health Act: The Role of Veterinary Medicine in Preventing Future Pandemics  Representative Kurt Schrader (OR-5)    Thursday, September 10, 2020  12 PM EDT  Pet Ownership and Pet Industry Economics in the Post-COVID...