On Saturday 10th April 2021 the sun set on the final chapter of the extraordinary story of Bob Harvey and his little dog Darcie. Their story was a remarkable one – one of resilience, fortitude and love. Bob and his wife Margaret had been together for over 50 years and around 14 years ago they were joined by a third member to complete their little family – their miniature Schnauzer Darcie.  They would all become inseparable, each incomplete without the others.

Last year, SCAS Awarded Open Access funding to support the publication of this research.

The field of human-animal interaction has seen tremendous growth; more and more research is attempting to scientifically quantify how dogs may be beneficial for our health and wellbeing. As we continue to see this growth in the field, systematic literature reviews are incredibly important to summarise what we do and do not know, as well as identify gaps for future research.  

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Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health showed that dog paws are cleaner that the sole of people’s shoes; rendering the hygiene argument, which is often used to ban assistance dogs from public locations, invalid.

As we celebrate International Love Your Pet Day on 20^th February, it is good to pause and reflect on how much dogs enrich our lives. They are often seen as ‘family members’ who offer us affection, fun, and emotional and physical support. Increasing evidence shows the health and well-being benefits that canine companions may bring to older adults (Enders-Slegers & Hediger, 2019; Gee & Mueller, 2019). That relationship can change over time, particularly as both dog and owner age, impacting healthy, active aging for both parties. SCAS trustee Dr. Sandra McCune and Dr. Daniel Promislow recently gave a webinar on this topic which is based on a forthcoming paper in the Frontiers journals’ Research Topic, ‘Our canine connection; The history, benefits and future of human-dog interactions’.