ANNOUNCING THE HUMAN ANIMAL BOND INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS

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Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) Honors:

Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Pet-Inclusive Culture Category

The Street Dog Coalition

Public Service Category

The Dr. Vernard Hodges It Takes a Village Foundation

Media Category

Amazon

Products & Services Category

BestyBnB

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 2023 Human Animal Bond Innovation Award winners are:

Pet-Inclusive Culture: Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Tito’s Handmade Vodka has been proud to call itself a team of “dog people” for more than twenty-five years. At first, it was just Tito and “DogJo” out at the distillery. Soon, stray dogs started showing up to receive food and care, creating a tradition of distillery dogs that continues to this day. Since those early days, Tito’s has rescued over 120 distillery dogs and supported thousands of animal-focused nonprofits. From the distillery to home offices around the country and beyond, Tito’s culture always includes canine companions – affectionately known as co-woofers – with pet-friendly workspaces and regular “yappy hours”. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is always ready to celebrate the human-animal bond, serving as a model of pet-inclusive culture.

The Pet-Inclusive Culture category is sponsored by Nationwide Pet.

Public Service Category: Street Dog Coalition

The Street Dog Coalition (SDC) works to strengthen the human-animal bond in over sixty communities with street clinics to provide free veterinary care to pets of people who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. They focus on providing services that are anchored around a One Health model that recognizes the way that people, animals and their communities all affect one another. SDC uses evidence-based practices to inform its outreach efforts, which also include providing free spay/neuter vouchers to pet owners; supporting veterans by caring for their pets; and making public transportation more pet friendly.

The Public Service Category is sponsored by Zoetis.

Media Category: The Dr. Vernard Hodges “It Takes a Village” Foundation, Inc.

The Dr. Vernard Hodges “It Takes a Village” Foundation was founded in 2011 by Dr. Vernard Hodges, who along with Vice President Dr. Terrence Ferguson are popular celebrity veterinarians with their hit National Geographic WILD TV show, “Critter Fixers: Country Vets.” Both veterinarians have been active in their middle Georgia community for many years through generous charitable contributions and entrepreneurial leadership. Selected for its “Vet for a Day” program, the “It Takes a Village” Foundation introduces teens to veterinary medicine as a career. Dr. Hodges and Dr. Ferguson are passionate about sharing their knowledge, skills and life journeys to help children from diverse communities learn about career opportunities in veterinary medicine.

The Media category is sponsored by Dog TV.

Products & Services Category: Amazon

Amazon Pet Day in 2023 included five philanthropic mobile clinics, each offering free canine core and rabies vaccinations for up to 100 pets and pet families in need. These clinics were held at central community resource locations chosen to provide access to underserved communities. This collaboration between Amazon, PetIQ and more than 30 grassroots organizations made Pet Day about more than just pet products by connecting passionate veterinary professionals with committed neighborhood groups to serve hundreds of pet families in need.

Pet-Inclusive Infrastructure Category: BestyBnB

BestyBnB helps domestic violence, mental health, animal welfare and other social service agencies secure safe, temporary homes for clients and their pets so they can and will seek the help they need. The BestyBnB platform is a critical solution for nonprofit organizations to help millions of women, children, mental health patients and their pets, using innovation and technology to remove barriers to safe housing that exist in many communities across the United States. BestyBnB was born out of the mission to keep pets and people safe, connected and together, building the necessary infrastructure to support the human-animal bond in times of crisis.

“PetSmart Charities is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor for the Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards to celebrate the powerful relationship between pets and people,” said Aimee Gilbreath, President of PetSmart Charities and member of the HABRI Board of Trustees. “This year’s honorees demonstrate a deep commitment to protecting and strengthening the human-animal bond in their communities.”

“HABRI is grateful to Presenting Sponsor: PetSmart Charities; Category Sponsors: Nationwide Pet, Zoetis and DOGTV; and Supporting Sponsors, whiskerDocs and the World Pet Association,” said HABRI President Steven Feldman. “These organizations have not only made the Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards possible, they have also demonstrated a strong and enduring commitment to the human-animal bond.”

Contact

Hayley Maynard

Hayley@inspireprgroup.com

614.701.8205

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Press Releases

Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) Shareable Infographic: The Top Benefits of Pet Ownership for Healthy Hearts

In recognition of Heart Health Month, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) has created a new shareable infographic, “The Top Benefits of Pet Ownership for Healthy Hearts”. The infographic highlights research supporting the positive role of pets in improving cardiovascular health. “Scientific research shows a link between pet ownership and improved heart health, including a lower risk of heart diseases and heart-related health issues,” said HABRI President Steven Feldman. “HABRI’s goal is to raise awareness of the important role of human-animal bond for healthier hearts during Heart Health Month, a time to focus on cardiovascular health.” This infographic is part of an ongoing series to share human-animal bond research. In June, HABRI shared “Can Pets Help You Live Longer?“. In November, HABRI issued “5 ways the Human-Animal Bond is Improving Lives During the Pandemic”.

Press Releases

Pet Week on Capitol Hill Goes Virtual

Hosted by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), Pet Week on Capitol Hill will bring the power of pets to Capitol Hill, delivering the message to elected representatives that pets are important for human health and wellbeing, especially during these unprecedented times. In an effort to safeguard the health and safety of all, Pet Night on Capitol Hill, the popular, in-person annual reception has been converted to a series of virtual conversations to be held September 8-10, 2020. “Pets have become even more important during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “Pet Week on Capitol Hill will feature conversations with Members of Congress and pet care leaders about the importance of pet ownership in America.” In addition to a wealth of information about pets and related policies and legislation that will strengthen the human-animal bond, Pet Week will still include the much-anticipated Cutest Pets on Capitol competition! Pet Week on Capitol Hill is a free event, with all programming streaming from www.PetNight.com. The full schedule is listed below: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 4:00 PM EDT Pet Nation: The Importance of Pets in America Mark Cushing Author, Pet Nation Steven Feldman Executive Director, HABRI Wednesday, September 9, 2020 12 PM EDT Lifesaving Pet-Related Legislation: A Discussion Of Important Initiatives That Will Help Keep Pets And People Safe, Healthy And Happy Together Dr. Kurt Venator, DVM, PhD, Chief Veterinary Officer, Nestlé Purina PetCare (and his puppy Emmie) Nicole Forsyth, President & CEO, RedRover Nicole Lanahan, Executive Director, Got Your Six Support Dogs 4:00 PM EDT One Health Act: The Role of Veterinary Medicine in Preventing Future Pandemics Representative Kurt Schrader (OR-5) Thursday, September 10, 2020 12 PM EDT Pet Ownership and Pet Industry Economics in the Post-COVID...

Press Releases

New Research to Explore the Health Benefits of Cat Fostering for Older Adults

Funded by a two-year grant from the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), faculty from the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Family and Consumer Science and the Obesity Initiative are collaborating on a new research project to examine the impact of pet companionship on mental and emotional health in older adults living alone. “Housing and health are essential to overall well-being, a fact known to pertain to both humans and animals”, said Heidi Ewen, assistant professor, Colleges of Public Health and Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia. “We have proposed a unique solution to help older adults living alone at home establish new social bonds, by pairing them with homeless foster cats.” Partnering with the Athens Area Humane Society and UGA’s Campus Cats organization, a rescue group that works with homeless cats on campus, the team will match foster parents and felines. The team is led by Heidi Ewen and Sherry Sanderson, a veterinarian and associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Beginning in October, the team will begin to identify older adults in the Athens Area that are willing to foster cats. The 34 pairs of cats and seniors will then be interviewed and assessed throughout the study to determine whether having a pet in the house leads to changes in their emotional well-being. Assessments include, loneliness, emotional well-being, and purpose of life scales as well as measures of attachment to, and comfort from, the foster cat. Findings are expected to demonstrate improvements in mental and behavioral health in foster parents including reduction in loneliness and depression, and that attachment to the companion animal will increase the duration of fostering or lead to adoption of the foster cat. “As efforts around the country have increased to reduce euthanasia rates of homeless pets, there is an increasing reliance upon foster homes to bridge the time between...

ANNOUNCING THE HUMAN ANIMAL BOND INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS

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