Healthy Paws Foundation Joins Forces with the Human Animal Bond Research Institute

Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) Honors:   CancerCare Public Service Category Meals on Wheels America Public Service Category Sesame Workshop Media Category  Kimpton Hotels Pet-Inclusive Culture Category Tybee Island Police Department Pet-Inclusive Infrastructure Category   The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced the winners of its annual Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards, which recognize companies and organizations with innovative products and programs designed to advance the human-animal bond and create a more pet-friendly society. The 2024 Human Animal Bond Innovation Award winners are:   Public Service Category: CancerCare CancerCare’s Pet Assistance and Wellness (PAW) program helps people diagnosed with cancer stay together with their beloved pet by providing financial assistance for pet-related expenses, such as pet food, vet visits, pet sitting and boarding. The PAW Program was launched in 2020 and has given over 3,700 financial assistance grants to date.   Public Service Category: Meals on Wheels America Meals on Wheels bridges human services and animal welfare to ease the challenges of pet ownership and preserve the human-animal bond. What started as small programs providing ad hoc support has grown to be robust and multi-faceted programs encompassing an array of services, including pet food and supply deliveries, access to veterinary care, grooming, emergency boarding, and dog walking. The organization has also released national research findings to the public to raise awareness among new audiences about the prevalence of social isolation and the effectiveness of pet programs as a solution The Public Service category is sponsored by Zoetis.   Media Category: Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop believes that children often have special relationships with animals. Whether it’s a family pet or a stuffed animal, furry friends can provide kids an avenue for learning new skills, while growing in self-confidence,...

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation announced today that Phillips Pet Food & Supplies has joined the organization’s Steering Committee and made a $25,000 contribution to support research on the human health benefits of companion animals. “Phillips Pet Food & Supplies is proud to support the HABRI Foundation and its mission to study the healing power of pets,” said Blaine Phillips, CEO of Phillips Pet Food & Supplies. “We represent more than 375 vendors and 700 brands of quality pet products across the nation, and understand that the better we take care of our pets, the better they will take care of us.” “Phillips Pet Food & Supply is a leader in keeping pets happy and healthy,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “By supporting HABRI, Phillips is demonstrating its dedication to the incredible bond pets share with their owners.” HABRI has assembled a growing body of scientific evidence that pets improve heart health; alleviate depression; increase wellbeing; support child health and development; and contribute to healthy aging. In addition, companion animals can assist in the treatment of a broad range of conditions from post-traumatic stress to Alzheimer’s disease to autism spectrum disorder. “Phillips Pet Food & Supplies customers, the independent retailers, play a major role in strengthening the human-animal bond,” Phillips added. “We’re going to work together to develop and share even more information about how pets make people, families and communities happier and healthier.”

 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...