Pet Night on Capitol Hill Celebrates America’s Love of Pets

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 PAWS Act Coalition, a group of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, is working to raise awareness among the domestic violence shelter community of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. This program will support shelter and transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals, which was made possible by the passage of the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act by Congress in 2018. “The PAWS Act funding and new grants mark an important milestone in keeping more pets and their families together,” said Nina Leigh Krueger, president of Nestlé Purina PetCare. “Purina is committed to continuing to work alongside our partners to increase the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters so families and their pets can safely leave an abusive situation and heal together.” “With incidents of domestic violence increasing as a result of coronavirus stay-at-home orders, the need for pet-friendly sheltering will also grow, and this funding could not have come at a better time,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). “HABRI is proud to have participated in this two-plus year effort to support the successful implementation of the lifesaving PAWS Act. The PAWS Act Coalition and many in the greater pet care community have worked hard to make this grant program a reality.” The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will provide up to five grants of $400,000 each, to begin on October 1, 2020. The primary goal of this funding is to support shelter and transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. With these grants, the DOJ seeks to increase the number of shelter beds and transitional housing options to meet the needs of domestic violence survivors who need shelter or housing for them and their companion animals. Funding provided by this grant will also provide...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC (“MetLife Pet”), one of the world’s leading financial services companies, today announced a collaboration to advance their shared goal of strengthening the human-animal bond through research, education and advocacy. “At MetLife Pet Insurance, we are focused on ensuring all pet parents’ have access to veterinary resources so they can confidently care for their pets and that that our four-legged family members receive the care they need,” said Brian Jorgensen, CEO of MetLife Pet Insurance. “We are committed to protecting and supporting the relationship between people and their pets, which is in complete alignment with the mission of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.” Scientific research demonstrates that having pets in our lives can lead to better physical and mental health for people of all ages. Importantly, the more pet owners learn about scientific research on the benefits of the human-animal bond, the more likely they are to take positive action including better pet care and more regular veterinary visits. MetLife Pet will join with HABRI to fund impactful research that documents the positive benefits of companion animals for human health and advocate for policy solutions that support pet owners and help increase access to veterinary care. “MetLife Pet Insurance not only recognizes the importance of the pets in our lives, they are also working to preserve the bond for countless families around the country,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. “By collaborating with HABRI, MetLife Pet Insurance is taking their support for the human-animal bond to the next level by working together to create a more pet-friendly society.”