Virtual Lecture Spotlights New Research on the Health and Developmental Benefits of Companion Animals for Young Children

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced a new grant for research that will apply methods in machine learning and data analytics, supported with data from human cohort studies, to gain a better understanding of the human-animal bond and the connection to pet and human health. This grant was awarded to a team of researchers led by Principal Investigator Dr. Nophar Geifman, Professor of Health and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Surrey. “The bond between humans and their companion animals offers significant health benefits for both sides,” said Dr. Nophar Geifman, the Principal Investigator for this study. “We aim to gain a better understanding of this bond and its effect on companion animal and human health and wellbeing, by applying artificial intelligence approaches to questionnaire data as well as data from other studies on health outcomes in humans.” Researchers will utilize data from the International Survey of Pet Owners & Veterinarians, commissioned by HABRI in partnership with Zoetis, for this research. First, using a range of computational techniques, researchers will investigate which measures are most associated with the strength of the human-animal bond, such as quality of life and veterinary care. Researchers will then use methods in machine learning to identify different subgroups or “types” of pet parents, based on their characteristics, and relate those subgroups to animal health outcomes and the human-animal bond. Researchers will rely on these data-driven insights to design and propose the deployment of a new survey within the UK-Biobank, a 500,000-person study on health and wellbeing. Information derived from this venture will be disseminated and can inform the wider population on the benefits of the human-animal bond. The availability of complementary data to the HABRI-Zoetis International Survey, including proposed access to the UK-Biobank, will allow future analyses to incorporate and control for...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and the Pet Advocacy Network co-hosted Pet Night on Capitol Hill for the first time since the pandemic began, celebrating the important role pets play in our lives. Pet Night brought together Members of Congress and leaders in the pet care community to share programs, policies, and key data about how the human-animal bond positively impacts our mental, physical and social health. “The pet care community is thrilled to be back in person to share the power of pets with Congress,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. “Pet Night on Capitol Hill shares the message that pets have a measurable impact on our health and well-being, and that there are tangible measures policymakers can take to support pets and their owners.” Plenty of pets were in attendance, including Pet Partners therapy animal-handler teams; Trumpet the Westminster Best in Show Winner, provided by Purina; and Biscuit, the Washington Capitals service dog in training, provided by Mars Petcare. “It was exciting to once again meet face-to-face with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for positive pet policies, then finish the day with a celebration of all that pets bring to our lives,” said Pet Advocacy Network President and CEO Mike Bober. “We are committed today and every day to helping all Americans find and care for their ideal companions and experience the incredible benefits of pet ownership and animal-assisted interactions.” The Animal Health Institute (AHI) honored the winners of the Cutest Pets on Capitol Hill contest, now in its fourteenth year, recognizing the most adorable animals owned by Members of Congress and their staff. Cutest Dog: Louis Owner: Alyssa Gulick Office of Rep. Bill Johnson (OH-6)   Cutest Cat: Kit Owner: Jesse Ferguson Office of Rep. Mike Flood (NE-1)   Cutest Exotic: Charlie (horse) Owner: Gray Maxwell Office of Senator Ben Cardin (MD) “The human-animal bond keeps getting...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Pet Partners today announced new funding for a research project to investigate the health and wellbeing benefits of equine-assisted services (EAS) for survivors of trauma and the horses in the program. This grant of $55,212.30 was awarded to a team of researchers at The Ohio State University led by Kimberly Cole, Extension equine specialist and professor of animal sciences. “Pet Partners is thrilled to support this study on the healing influence of equine-assisted therapy for survivors of trauma,” said C. Annie Peters, president & CEO of Pet Partners. “Understanding the impact of EAS on not only the trauma survivors, but also on the participating horses represents an important contribution to the field of human-animal interaction research.” “An increasing number of programs rely on the positive influence of horses, but we still need more evidence on the specific mechanisms for which human-equine interaction leads to positive health outcomes in human participants,” said Cole. “This research, which utilizes the biopsychosocial model to measure specific biomarkers such as oxytocin, aims to advance the science of animal-assisted therapy in this important area.” Using a within-subject repeated measures design, this study will examine health and wellbeing for both human and equine using outcome measures within a biopsychosocial framework. Participants between 18-55 years of age with trauma symptoms will participate in four consecutive weekly sessions with the same equine. Equine-assisted services (EAS) is a broad term used to describe all ways humans interact with horses and other members of the equine species, including therapeutic, learning, and horsemanship services, with activities such as therapeutic riding as well as grooming. Salivary samples will be collected before and after each session from both humans and equine and analyzed for oxytocin and pro-inflammatory cytokine, hormones associated with...