Ernie Els Pet Products Joins with HABRI to Champion Research on Autism and the Human-Animal Bond

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today that Amazon, a pet-friendly company and supplier of pet products, has become an official sponsor of HABRI and its research on the human health benefits of companion animals. “Amazon’s support for HABRI and human-animal bond research demonstrates its commitment to the values of great pet care and the importance of pets in our lives,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “Amazon helps make it easy for us to care for our pets and, in turn, our pets contribute to our health and wellness.” Amazon customers can explore popular pet products, enjoy pet care tips, and create a profile for their pet in order to receive personalized recommendations and coupons. In addition to offering customers a wide selection of pet food, treats, toys, tech and more, Amazon has been dog-friendly since Day 1 at its Seattle headquarters where employees share their workspace with as many as 6,000 pupazonians each day. Scientific evidence increasingly shows that pets improve humans’ heart health; alleviate depression; increase well-being; support child health and educational development; and contribute to healthy aging. New research also shows that pet-supportive workplaces boost employee attraction, engagement and retention. When employers support pet owners, employees are more likely to feel highly connected to their company’s mission, become more fully engaged with their work and are more willing to recommend their employer to others. Additionally, employees at pet friendly workplaces are 52% more likely to report a positive working relationship with their boss and 53% more likely to report a positive working relationship with their co-workers, compared to just 14% and 19% among those in non-pet friendly environments. “Science demonstrates that pet-inclusive work environments help boost morale and encourage a culture of healthy collaboration and teamwork,” Feldman added. “Amazon is a leading pet-friendly...

 The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Pet Partners announced today a grant to Indiana University School of Medicine for a new research project, Canine-assisted anxiety reduction in pediatric emergency care (CANINE III). The study will investigate the impact of therapy dog visits on the anxiety levels of children in emergency care.   “Registered Pet Partners therapy dog teams visit hospitals throughout the country, and we know they can put a smile on a child’s face, no matter what they are going through,” said C. Annie Peters, President and CEO of Pet Partners. “Scientific research to validate the efficacy of therapy dogs in the emergency room has the potential to not only provide more children with much needed comfort and emotional support, but to also help serve as a complementary intervention to improve medical outcomes.”  “Virtually all children experience some degree of psychological stress as patients in the emergency department,” says the Principal Investigator, Jeffrey Kline, MD, IU School of Medicine “The inclusion of therapy dog visits in addition to a child-life specialist could provide a low cost, low risk method to help reduce child and parental anxiety in the emergency department.”   CANINE III is a NCT-registered, two-arm, block randomized trial with one to one matching of patients receiving therapy dogs as an adjunct with a child life specialist, compared with children who receive child life specialists alone. The children will receive a 15-minute visit, with the research team periodically collecting saliva samples to test for cortisol levels, or the level of stress. Dr. Kline will complete this project alongside co-investigator Alan Beck, PhD, Purdue University. The study will also test if therapy dogs afford greater anxiety reduction in children with psychiatric complaints, autism spectrum disorder, or brain injury, versus children with none of those conditions.   All...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced funding for a new research project that will explore the challenges cancer survivors encounter in caring for their pets throughout the course of their treatment and recovery with the goal of informing the development of clinical assessments and interventions to better address their pet-related needs. The funding was awarded to a team of researchers at Colorado State University co-led by Dr. Jennifer Currin-McCulloch and Dr. Lori Kogan. Research suggests that pet ownership offers emotional support and connection for cancer survivors. Although there are many documented benefits of pet ownership for this population, there are critical gaps in knowledge about the benefits or practical day-to-day strains pets may create for survivors’ physical and emotional well-being. This project’s overall objective is to explore the benefits, stressors, and social support structures survivors encounter in caring for their pets under the One Health framework, which emphasizes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to public health. “Cancer is one of the most common illnesses in the United States, and while the impact of human social support on cancer survivors is well documented, the influence of pets on survivors’ wellbeing is not,” explained Dr. Currin-McCulloch. “In conducting this research, we hope to help cancer survivors enjoy the benefits of their relationship with their pet by minimizing the stress involved with meeting their pets’ needs during their survivorship trajectory.” This study will employ an online mixed methods survey to identify if and how pets serve as emotional support and/or stressors for cancer survivors, and how support systems can promote their ability to provide for their pets’ physical and emotional well-being. The researchers will build on these survey results by conducting focus groups to explore how survivors support their pets and what gaps exist in pet-related...