New Research to Study Relationship between Pet Ownership and Youth Development in a Nationally-Representative Dataset

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) has announced funding for a new research project led by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine to evaluate the effects of service dogs on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their caregivers. The two-year grant from HABRI will enable the research team to conduct a study quantifying the therapeutic effects of service dogs on children with ASD and their caregivers in collaboration with service dog provider Canine Companions for Independence. “While anecdotal evidence suggests service dogs may benefit children with ASD, there is a need for published data on this subject,” said the study’s Principal Investigator, Marguerite O’Haire, PhD, Associate Professor of Human-Animal Interaction, who is part of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. “As the largest and most extensive study on service dogs for children with ASD and their caregivers to date, we expect the findings to provide critically-needed outcomes for this increasingly prevalent application of the human-animal bond.” The study, called the Purdue Canines for Autism Research Study, or Purdue CARES, will compare up to 50 families engaging in usual care that have an ASD service dog with up to 50 families engaging in usual care while on the waitlist to receive a service dog. Participation will include caregivers completing a 30-60 minute online survey and facilitating three mornings of saliva collection with the child to measure cortisol, a stress hormone. O’Haire and Purdue co-investigators Kerri Rodriguez, Dr. Mandy Rispoli and Dr. Bridgette Kelleher along with Dr. Evan MacLean of the University of Arizona will conduct the study, which focuses on children diagnosed with autism who range from ages 4-17. The researchers will compare the symptoms of children who currently have service dogs in the home and those who are on a waiting list for a service dog. They also will assess participants’ cortisol levels, a...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced a new grant for research to evaluate the impact of a youth-cat training program on youth thriving and cat wellbeing. This grant was awarded to a team of researchers at Oregon State University including Dr. Kristen Davis Moore, 4-H Program Coordinator, Professor Monique Udell, associate professor and Director of the Human-Animal Interaction Laboratory, and Dr. Saethra Darling, Postdoctoral Scholar. In this study, youth and their family cat will take part in a 12-session youth-cat training program that is focused on positive youth development with active learning activities and fear-free cat handling and care. The goal of this project is to evaluate a multidisciplinary, whole-child approach to fostering a partnership between young people and their family cats that promotes both youth and cat well-being. “Cats are the second most commonly owned pet in America, but we find that they are often misunderstood and still heavily underrepresented in animal behavior and human-animal bond research compared to dogs,” said Dr. Kristen Moore, the project’s Principal Investigator. “Our research will raise awareness of new opportunities for young people to bond with their pet cats and promote more animal-assisted activities in local communities.” The study design involves 30 children between the ages of 8 and 13 years and their pet cats, who will be recruited through schools and community programs in Oregon to participate in this youth-cat training program. Researchers will employ a pseudo-randomized control model with an experimental group and a control group of children on a waitlist to participate in the training program. The youth-cat training program will be focused on positive youth development with opportunities for learning about cat health, care, and individual preferences. All cat training methods will be fear free and positive reinforcement based. To encourage further community engagement, additional...

Healthy Paws Foundation, the charitable arm funded in part by Healthy Paws Pet Insurance – the #1 customer-rated provider of insurance for dogs and cats— and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) have joined forces; Healthy Paws Foundation has made a contribution to support the HABRI’s research on the mental and physical health benefits of owning a pet. Healthy Paws will sit alongside other leaders in the pet care community on the HABRI Steering Committee. This commitment focuses on creating awareness of “the pet effect”, including health benefits for people and improved health and welfare for pets. Scientific evidence shows that companion animals can help prevent cardiovascular disease, reduce depression, and provide support for conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s to autism spectrum disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). HABRI reports that pet ownership saves $11.7 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. The human-animal bond is also good for pets. A recently-published survey by HABRI found that when pet parents are educated on the scientific research on the health benefits of pets, 89 percent said they would be more likely to take better care of their pets. “We believe in the work HABRI is doing. Their research tells us that companion animals have a positive health impact; so while pets are an important part of the family, they’re also significant to our wellbeing,” said Rob Jackson, Chief Pet Protector at Healthy Paws. “It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, too – the knowledge that a human-animal bond increases their own health and wellness motivates pet parents to take better care of their pets. This means providing the best pet medical care is of utmost importance.” “Healthy Paws is a leader in the growing pet insurance business because they recognize the powerful human-animal bond that makes pets part of our families,” said Steven Feldman, HABRI Executive Director. “Research shows that when we take better care...