The Human-Animal Bond

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The Human-Animal Bond
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• CAPT Stephanie Ostrowski
• USPHS Veterinary Team

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The Human-Animal Bond

• The American Veterinary Medical Associations
  Definition
• A mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship
  between people and other animals that is
  influenced by behaviors that are essential to the
  health and well-being of both. This includes but
  is not limited to, emotional, psychological, and
  physical interactions of people, other animals,
  and the environment.
• The veterinarians role in the human-animal bond
  is to maximize the potentials of this
  relationship between people and other animals.

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History of the Human-Animal Bond

• Human-canine bond is one of the oldest
  relationships.
• Domestication gt12,000 years ago
• Transition from working companion to pet between
  600 to 1300 AD
• Evidence of human-feline bonds 9,500 years ago.
• Farm animal domestication 10,000 years ago.

Htpp//www.aspca.org
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Family Pets Family Members

• 62 of US households have at least one pet (AVMA
  2002)
• Children are more likely to have pets than
  siblings or fathers (Melson, 2001)
• More than 75 of owners say dogs health is as
  important to them as their own (Pfizer Animal
  Health/Gallup survey)
• 57 would prefer their pet as their only
  companion if they were stranded on a desert
  island (2001 APPMA pet owner survey)
• 52 are better at remembering the names of
  neighbors pets than human neighbors (2001 AAHA
  survey)
• A scientifically established link exists between
  how people treat animals and how they treat each
  other

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Functions in Modern Society

• Assistance animals
• Helpers (i.e. hearing, sight, seizure detection)
• Visitation
• Therapy programs (physical, mental,
  skill-building)

http//www.seeingeye.org
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Animals as Partners in Work

• Search and rescue dogs
• Bomb detection dogs
• Police dogs
• Police horses

http//www.searchdogfoundation.org
http//www.mountedpolice.com
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Alan Beck wrote
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• It is the "loving devotion, the soft touch, the
  constant companionship and the attentive eye, and
  the uncritical ear of the pet" that is so
  attractive to many of us. Pets are uncritically
  accepting, give love completely and openly, and
  are loyal at all times under all circumstances.
  The affection provided by an animal is simple,
  unconditional, and uncomplicated. Pets are
  playmates for persons of any age group, provide
  the security of companionship and are frequently
  a confidant. These comforting and healing
  qualities enable animals to be facilitators in
  therapy (Cornell Companions).

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Benefits to Humans Pets as Healers

• Pet owners have
• Lower blood pressure, triglycerides, and
  cholesterol
• Increased survival after heart attack
• Stress reduction
• Weight control
• Fewer minor health problems
• Alzheimers patients allowed to observe fish
  demonstrated improved relaxation, alertness, and
  eating habits
• Positive impact on the lonely, emotionally or
  physically impaired

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Benefits to Humans Childhood Development

• Pets
• Provide a sense of security and self-esteem
• Facilitate play, exploration, independence
• Facilitate an understanding of life events and
  life-changing events
• Promote responsibility, nurturing, loyalty,
  empathy, sharing, and unconditional love
• Animals in classrooms
• Motivate students to work well
• Improve behavior
• Provide care-giving opportunities important to
  psychological development

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Benefits to Humans Pets and the Elderly

• Pets
• Provide companionship and support during
  bereavement
• Increase levels of activity
• Improve person-to-person interactions
• Ease loss in natural disasters
• Transcend sensory deficits, mental changes,
  mobility restrictions that can impede human-human
  relationships
• When moving to residential care, there are
  significant benefits when elderly persons keep
  their pets

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Pet owners and rescue groups feel an acute sense
of urgency about getting animals out of harms
way.
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Pet-owning households are significantly less
likely to evacuate during mandatory orders.
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Animals and Disasters
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• A sense of personal responsibility to those
  entrusted to our care is a hallmark of
  emotionally and ethically mature human beings.
• Owners are loyal to the animals they love, and
  will risk personal injury to protect them.
• Studies indicate that pet-owning households are
  significantly less likely to evacuate during
  mandatory orders than households without pets
  the more pets, the less likely household will
  evacuate. (AJE 2001 153659-665)

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Animals and People During Disasters-- Evacuation
Phase

• Pets may be the only daily companions for elderly
  and special needs populations, and occupy the
  role of physical and emotional care-givers for
  these people.
• Leaving animals behind during routine evacuations
  creates stress and anxiety for pet owners and
  family members.
• Mandatory evacuations that do not include
  provisions for pets may cause
• resistance and conflict between rescuers and
  evacuees,
• acute emotional distress for pet owners
  (separation anxiety, guilt, feelings of wrongful
  loss and powerlessness).
• Therefore, joint owner-pet evacuations should be
  facilitated to the extent possible.

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Rescuing and caring for animals are normalizing
experiences for people who have suffered loss and
displacement.
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Protecting those we love empowerment!
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Protecting those we love empowerment

• Pet owners and rescue groups feel an acute sense
  of urgency about getting animals out of harms
  way.
• Rescuing and sheltering evacuated animals
  provides a sense of competency, empowerment, and
  recovery in the face of disaster.
• Being prevented from rescuing and caring for
  animals can generate intense frustration and
  resentment.

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References

• Center for the Human Animal Bond. Purdue
  University School of Veterinary Medicine.
  www.vet.purdue.edu.
• Melson, GF. Why the wild things are Animals in
  the lives of children. Cambridge, Ma Harvard
  University Press. 2001.
• Human Society of the United States.
  www.hsus.org/pets.
• American Veterinary Medical Association.
  www.avma.org.
• Beck, Alan. Director, Center for the Human-Animal
  Bond, Purdue University School of Veterinary
  Medicine.
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• http//www.aspca.org/site/