Synchrony and The Human Animal Bond Research Institute Form Strategic Alliance to Champion the Human-Animal Bond

The Pet Effect

Did you know pets can help prevent allergies in children?

Learn more about The Pet Effect here.

Washington, D.C. and Stamford, Connecticut (November 30, 2023) — The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer finance company, today announced a strategic partnership to advance the companies’ shared goal of strengthening the human-animal bond.

“At Synchrony, we’re continually looking for ways to equip pet parents and veterinarians with the knowledge, resources and financial solutions to provide all pets with the care they need, over the course of their lifetime,” said Boo Larsen, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Veterinary and Pet Care, Synchrony. “By joining forces with HABRI, we hope to help everyone in the relationship with the animal truly understand the mutually beneficial power of the bond, which will in turn lead to better veterinary care.”[1]

Synchrony is committed to empowering the health and wellness of people and their families, including their pets, through its flexible financial solutions including the CareCredit health and wellness credit card and Pets Best, as well as partnerships such as this one with HABRI. HABRI’s efforts to demonstrate and substantiate the positive impact of this special bond on the health of pets, individuals, families and communities align perfectly with Synchrony.

Synchrony will help HABRI fulfill its mission of building the human-animal bond by:

Funding HABRI’s impactful research that documents the positive benefits of companion animals for personal and public health and addresses major industry issues.
Amplifying HABRI’s science-based education to CareCredit’s network of 25,000 veterinary providers – which reaches 95% of veterinary university hospitals and ~75% of veterinary hospitals nationwide – to increase public awareness of the human-animal bond’s essential role in human and animal health and wellness.
Participating in HABRI’s public policy initiatives and advocating for legislative solutions that support pet owners and help increase access to pet care. Synchrony executives recently participated in HABRI’s Pet Night on Capitol Hill, which has become the premier opportunity to give Members of Congress and Congressional staff an opportunity to meet with pet care community leaders and organizations to learn about the importance of pet ownership to human health and wellbeing.

“Through its veterinary and pet solutions, Synchrony not only recognizes the importance of the human-animal bond, but also serves as an important means of preserving the bond by facilitating access to veterinary care for millions of families,” says Steven Feldman, President, HABRI. “By aligning with Synchrony’s CareCredit and leveraging its strong foothold in human healthcare, we believe we can get one step further to bridging the important connection between human and animal health.”

[1] International Survey of Pet Owners & Veterinarians

About HABRI

HABRI is a not-for-profit organization that funds innovative scientific research to document the health benefits of companion animals; educates the public about human-animal bond research; and advocates for the beneficial role of companion animals in society. For more information, please visit http://www.habri.org

About Synchrony

Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry’s most complete digitally enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoor, pet and more. We have an established and diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers, which we refer to as our “partners.” We connect our partners and consumers through our dynamic financial ecosystem and provide them with a diverse set of financing solutions and innovative digital capabilities to address their specific needs and deliver seamless, omnichannel experiences. We offer the right financing products to customers in their channel of choice. For more information, visit www.synchrony.com.

Contact

Michelle Blaya Romero

Michelle.Romero@syf.com

Hayley Maynard

Hayley@inspireprgroup.com

###

Press Releases

New Research Looks at Impact of Service Dogs on Medication Regimens for Veterans with PTSD

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today the online publication of a study titled, “The Effect of a PTSD Service Dog on Military Veterans’ Medication Regimens: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study”, in the journal Anthrozoos. Findings of the study, conducted by researchers at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, found no significant differences between post-9/11 U.S. veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who were provided with a psychiatric service dog and veterans on a waitlist to receive a service dog in terms of number and type of medications reported. However, veterans with a service dog were more likely to report that their doctor had decreased dosage or removed medications, as compared to veterans on the waitlist to acquire a service dog. “Our previous research has found that PTSD service dogs can improve specific areas of functioning and symptomology for military veterans. This new research builds on these findings by exploring how PTSD service dogs impact veterans’ medication use,” said study co-author Dr. Kerri Rodriguez, Postdoctoral Researcher at Colorado State University. “These results indicate that PTSD service dogs played a positive supporting role. Veterans kept up with their medication regimens, indicating that the presence of the service dog was not associated with any lapse in standard treatment. While having a PTSD service dog may not completely alleviate veterans’ needs for sleep, pain, or anxiety medications, there were reported decreases in dosage levels, shedding additional light on the potential value of these service dogs as a complimentary intervention.” The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of PTSD service dogs on medication use among a population of military veterans with PTSD. Fifty-two veterans living with a PTSD service dog and 44 veterans on a waitlist to receive a service dog were recruited from a database...

Press Releases

Pet Partners Commits $100K to Support Therapy Animal Research

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today that Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization in animal assisted interventions, will donate $100,000 to fund research on the health, education, and wellness outcomes of therapy animals, for both the people and animals involved. This announcement is a supplement to HABRI’s 2019 Request for Proposals, open now through February 7, 2019. “Pet Partners recognizes the importance of developing scientific findings that further demonstrate the benefits to health and well-being associated with the human-animal bond,” said Annie Peters, President and CEO of Pet Partners. “Together, Pet Partners and HABRI will expand our knowledge, allowing more people to experience the benefits of high-quality therapy animal programs.” In order to be eligible for this funding, investigators must incorporate registered Pet Partners volunteer therapy animal teams into their proposed research. As part of the organization’s registration process, all Pet Partners therapy animal teams must meet high standards in the areas of patient and public safety and outstanding animal welfare. “Pet Partners programs are the gold standard for animal-assisted interventions, which will lend themselves to greater consistency and accuracy for research purposes,” said Steven Feldman, HABRI Executive Director. “We are grateful to Pet Partners for their leadership, generosity, and commitment to high standards.” In addition to funding provided by Pet Partners, researchers can apply for other HABRI grants to investigate the health and wellness outcomes of pet ownership and animal-assisted activity. Proposals should have a strong theoretical framework and take an innovative approach to assess the effect of companion animals on humans within the categories of child health and development, healthy aging and mental and physical wellness. For more information on HABRI funding opportunities and the award application process, please visit...

Press Releases

HABRI Named Among the Best Animal Therapy Non-Profits of 2017

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) has been chosen as one of the best animal therapy non-profits of the year by Healthline.com, one of the largest and fastest growing health information sites on the web. “This honor boosts HABRI’s mission to establish the human-animal bond as an essential part of our health and wellness,” said Steven Feldman, HABRI Executive Director. “It also serves as a seal-of-approval that shows HABRI is making a real difference for the health of both people and their pets.” According to Healthline.com, they put together their list with a focus on non-profits “actively working to educate, inspire, and support people while sharing the benefits of therapy animals,” and commended these organizations for being “dedicated to exploring and supporting the human-animal bond.” “It is tremendously gratifying to see HABRI’s work to fund human-animal bond scientific research recognized in this way,” Feldman added. “HABRI also extends its congratulations to the other non-profit organizations recognized by healthline.com for providing animal therapy programs and services to people in need.”