A Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences ‘Interdisciplinary Considerations in Human-Animal Interventions’ has new publications

A Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences ‘Interdisciplinary Considerations in Human-Animal Interventions’ has new publications, including:

A review by Lisa Townsend and Nancy R. Gee ‘Recognizing and Mitigating Canine Stress during Animal Assisted InterventionsRead here.

And a review by Lisa Maria Glenk and Sandra Foltin.  ‘Therapy Dog Welfare Revisited: A Review of the LiteratureRead here.

HABRI funding for HAI research!

Funding available for research that addresses evidence-based health benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI).

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) is issuing a call for research proposals from institutions and organizations across the globe to investigate the health outcomes of pet ownership and/or animal-assisted interventions (AAI) or therapy, both for the people and the animals involved.

Deadline 24 Feb 2022

For more information: Click here

Two recent publications on human-dog interactions

Two recent publications are now available from the Frontiers special edition, Our Canine Connection: The History, Benefits and Future of Human-Dog Interactions.

The Animal Welfare Science of Working Dogs: Current Perspectives on Recent Advances and Future Directions

Written by Mia Cobb, Cynthia Otto and Aubrey Fine, this paper reviews the last decade of animal welfare science of working dogs in relation to modern ethics, human interaction, and the five domains of animal welfare: nutrition, environment, behavioral interaction, physical health, and mental state. Additionally, the article suggests areas of further research to help ensure that working dogs have the best lives possible.

Read here

Advancing Genetic Selection and Behavioral Genomics of Working Dogs Through Collaborative Science

By Frances Chen, Madeline Zimmermann, Jessica Hekman, Kathryn Lord, Brittney Logan, Jane Russenberger, Eldin Leighton and Elinor Karlsson. The authors encourage the modernization of canine breeding programs, especially as it relates to working dogs, and advocate for the implementation of a data-driven method called estimated breeding values (EBVs).

Read here

Recordings now available from the SCAS 2021 conference ‘Animal-Assisted Interventions: Research meets Practice’

Our 2021 annual conference ‘Animal-Assisted Interventions: Research meets Practice’ was held on Sunday 19 September 2021. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to our speakers and chair for making the event such a success.

If you missed the conference, the recording is now available to purchase at a cost of £60 to non-members and £30 to SCAS members. Email Alison German on info@scas.org.uk

Next year’s conference will be held on Sunday 18 September 2022 – Save the date!

Centers for the Human-Animal Bond (CHAB) virtual conference (4 Nov 2021)

The Centers for the Human-Animal Bond (CHAB) 2021 conference is being held virtually on 4th Nov. Registration is free, and provides opportunities for engaging with plenaries and panels on human-animal interaction. The programme includes a talk from Prof. Daniel Mills, from the University of Lincoln on ‘Pet Related Activities And Human Well-being: The Helpful And The Harmful’.

Full programme and registration here.

New Publications Highlight Impact of Companion Animals on Loneliness During the Pandemic

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Mars Petcare, with support from a broad Consortium of partners, today announced the publication of three papers in the open-access Journal Animals, part of a special issue focused on the role of companion animals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Isolation and the Roles That Animals Play in Supporting the Lives of Humans: Lessons for COVID19. The papers focus on the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in helping to alleviate loneliness and social isolation during the pandemic.

https://habri.org/pressroom/20211006

Experiences with Pets Study

Download the flyer here.

Are you 18 years or older?

Do you currently live with a pet?

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University.

For more information, download the flyer here.

The goal is to develop and validate a measure that is able to capture general pet-related stress. You will be asked to complete an online survey that takes about 10 minutes.

To participate, either scan the QR code in the attached flyer or click on this link.

The research team can be contacted on 804-220-1182 (U.S. only) or via email cfar@vcu.edu