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

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Pet Partners announced today a new research grant to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to investigate the potential for reduced loneliness among people hospitalized for mental health conditions resulting from a program of therapy dog interventions. This project, titled “A Pilot Study to Examine the Impact of a Therapy Dog Intervention on Loneliness and Related Health Outcomes in Patients with Mental Illness,” aims to address key questions to support an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) as an inpatient intervention for these vulnerable individuals.   “This pilot study is important to Pet Partners as it will help advance standards of practice in the delivery of animal-assisted therapy for a population that stands to benefit from interaction with friendly, well-trained therapy animals,” said C. Annie Peters, President & CEO of Pet Partners. “In supporting this research, we hope to make an impactful contribution to the field of human-animal interaction and to support the work of volunteer therapy animal teams across the country dedicated to sharing the healing benefits of the human-animal bond with people in need of comfort and support.”  “We know that therapy animals can be beneficial to people in the hospital, but there is a need for more scientific studies to investigate their impact on loneliness, and to fully understand what aspects of those interactions are most effective and for whom,” said Nancy Gee, PhD, Professor and Director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction (CHAI) at Virginia Commonwealth University, the study’s principal investigator. “This study seeks to address this gap and provide further support for animal-assisted interventions as a way of addressing loneliness for this at-risk population.”  The goal of this new VCU research project is to collect pilot data in a population that is at-risk for loneliness...

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a $44,000 grant to Duke University School of Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Cardiology for a new research study titled Impact of Animal Assisted Therapy on Quality, Completeness, and Patient and Parental Satisfaction in Children Undergoing Clinical Echocardiography. This study will examine the influence of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) on young children undergoing an echocardiogram. It is hypothesized that children will have a more complete and higher quality echocardiogram in the presence of therapy dogs. In addition, parents are expected to report higher visit satisfaction scores and greater exam comfort for their children. “Echocardiography is an effective way to use ultrasound to ‘see’ inside the heart, and while taking the pictures is non-invasive, it can still be a scary procedure for young children,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Piers C.A. Barker, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Duke University School of Medicine. “Typically, we must sedate children who have trouble holding still so that we can get adequate pictures. This study aims to evaluate whether animal-assisted therapy could serve as an effective alternative technique to comfort the children and put them at ease, potentially resulting in more complete echocardiograms, higher quality images, and avoidance of sedation drugs.” “We know from previous scientific research that animal-assisted therapy is effective in alleviating anxiety in hospital patients,” said co-investigator, Margaret Gruen, DVM, PhD, DACVB of Duke. “This is one of the first studies to focus on the potential of animal-assisted therapy to impact a clinical outcome. If results are successful, this study could potentially add non-pharmacologic, low-cost options to improve diagnostic quality for children having medical imaging procedures and could encourage broader use of therapy dogs in other pediatric cardiology settings.” The...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and the Pet Advocacy Network co-hosted Pet Night on Capitol Hill yesterday, paying special tribute to the important role of service animals for our nation’s disabled veterans, and celebrating the positive impact of pets in America. Pet Night on Capitol Hill brought together Members of Congress, congressional staff, and leaders in the pet care community to share programs and policies that protect human and animal well-being. “Pet Night on Capitol Hill is more than just an evening spent with some incredible pets—it’s a chance to convey to Congress the vital message that policies and programs keeping people and pets together promote better health and well-being for all,” said Vic Mason, President of the World Pet Association (WPA) and presenting sponsor of Pet Night. “HABRI is proud to co-host Pet Night on Capitol Hill, a night dedicated to honoring the human-animal bond and its positive impact on the well-being of individuals, families and communities, including our nation’s veterans who rely on the healing support of service dogs,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. At the event, attendees interacted with Pet Partners therapy animals, show cats provided by the Cat Fanciers’ Association, and adoptable puppies from Petco Love. Veterans and their service dogs were recognized during the Ceremony for their service to our country, and the National Service Dog Memorial displayed a replica of the resin casting of “Sully”, President George H.W. Bush’s Service dog by Susan Bahary, which will be placed in the permanent collection of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, TX. The Animal Health Institute (AHI) honored the winners of the Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill contest, now in its sixteenth year, recognizing the most adorable animals belonging to Members of Congress and their staff.   Cutest Dog: Palmer Owner: Joe Ballard Office...