Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) Grants to Address Important Areas of Scientific Research

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today that IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. has become an official supporter of HABRI and its research on the human health benefits of companion animals. “IDEXX is proud to support HABRI and its mission to advance human-animal bond research,” said Jonathan Ayers, Chairman and CEO of IDEXX Laboratories. “IDEXX is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of pets and people alike by bringing to market the most advanced diagnostics and software in veterinary medicine. When we provide high quality care for pets, human health also benefits.” “IDEXX is an innovative leader in pet health,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “By supporting HABRI, IDEXX is demonstrating its dedication to the human-animal bond and to keeping pets and people healthy together.” Scientific evidence increasingly shows that pets improve heart health; alleviate depression; increase well-being; 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. The benefits of the human-animal bond impact more than just human health. Findings from a recent HABRI survey of 2,000 pet owners demonstrate that knowledge of the scientific research on the human-animal bond motivates pet owners to take better care of their pets. From providing pets with higher quality nutrition to more frequent visits to the veterinarian, spreading awareness of the health benefits of pet ownership improves pet health and welfare.

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...

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...