Wellness Care Farm
The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and 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,animals, and the environment.
Benefits of the Human-Animal Bond
(Pet Partners https://petpartners.org/learn/benefits-human-animal-bond/)
The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that positively influences the health and well-being of both. While many of us intuitively understand the benefits of positive interactions with animals in our lives, an emerging body of research is recognizing the impact the human-animal bond can have on individual and community health.
Just a few examples of therapy animals improving the physical, social, and emotional health of clients:
Benefits extend to our companion animals and the presence of pets in our lives:
Whether it is pet ownership that gives us cause to exercise, offers an antidote for loneliness, and gives us loving companions to care for, or animal-assisted interventions that improve motivation to participate in treatment and lessen worry, anxiety, and pain, we recognize that animals can influence not just our happiness but also our health.
Harper CM, Dong Y, Thornhill TS, et al. Can therapy dogs improve pain and satisfaction after total joint arthroplasty? A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® 2014;473(1):372-79.
Marcus DA, Bernstein CD, Constantin JM, et al. Impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy for Outpatients with Fibromyalgia. Pain Medicine 2013;14(1):43-51.
Johnson RA, Meadows RL. Dog-walking: Motivation for adherence to a walking program. Clinical Nursing Research, 19(4), 387-402
O’Haire ME, McKenzie SJ, Beck AM, Slaughter V (2013). Social Behaviors Increase in Children with Autism in the Presence of Animals Compared to Toys. PLoS ONE 8(2): e57010. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057010
Gee NR, Church MT, Altobelli CL. Preschoolers make fewer errors on an object categorization task in the presence of a dog. Anthrozoös 2010;23(3):223-30.
Gee NR, Gould JK, Swanson CC, Wagner AK. Preschoolers categorize animate objects better in the presence of a dog. Anthrozoös 2012;25(2):187-198.
Allen, K., Shykoff, B. E., & Joseph L. Izzo, J. (2001). Pet ownership, but not ACE inhibitor therapy, blunts home blood pressure responses to mental stress. Hypertension, 38, 815-820.
Friedmann, E., Katcher, A. H., Lynch, J. J., & Thomas, S. A. (1980). Animal companions and one-year survival of patients after discharge from a coronary care unit. Public Health Reports, 95(4), 307-312.
Friedmann, E., & Thomas, S. A. (1995). Pet ownership, social support, and one-year survival after acute myocardial infarction in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST). The American Journal of Cardiology, 76(17), 1213-1217.
Takashima GK, Day, MJ, (2014). Setting the one health agenda and the human-companion animal bond. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11, 11110-11120; doi:10.3390/ijerph111111110
Levine,G.N. ;Allen,K.; Braun,L.T.; Christian, H.E.; Friedmann, E.;Taubert,K.A.; Thomas, S.A.; Wells, D.L.; Lange, R.A. Pet ownership and cardiovascular risk: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2013, 127, 2353–2363.
Trahan, G.J.; Bracci, P.M.; Holly, E.A. Domestic and farm-animal exposures and risk of non-hodgkin’s lymphoma in a population-based study in San Francisco bay area. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev. 2008, 17, 2382–2387.
Sobo, E.J.; Eng, B.; Kassity-Krich, N. Canine Visitation (Pet) Therapy: Pilot study data on decrease in child
pain perception. J. Holist. Nurs. 2006, 24, 51–57.
Barker, S.B.; Wolen, A.K. The benefits of human-companion animal interaction: A review. J. Vet. Med. Ed. 2008, 35, 487–495.
Heady, B.; Grabka, M.; Kelley, J.; Reddy, P.; Tseng, Y.-P. Pet ownership is good for your health and saves public expenditure too. Australian and German longitudinal evidence. Aust. Soc. Monit. 2002, 5, 93–99.