Animals Helping Humans. Humans Helping Animals.

 

Human-Animal Bond

Have you been curious about what makes animal-assisted therapy so helpful? It’s effective because of the Human-Animal Bond (HAB). The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) defines the Human-Animal Bond as, “A mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and other animals.” The research is new, but promising. Here are a few interesting finds from the research.

  • Both pets and therapy dogs are shown to be a buffer from stress, as measured by self-report, salivary cortisol, and systolic blood pressure. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been shown to reduce stress in college students.

  • Research suggests that pet ownership and interaction with an animal can significantly decrease anxiety in a variety of settings, such as an emergency room, dentist's office, and hospital.

  • Both AAT and pet ownership have been shown to be beneficial in lifting mood and decreasing depression and Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms.

  • Being in the presence of animals increases the human’s oxytocin, which is the hormone involved in bonding and attachment.

For more information on the Animal-Human Bond please visit The Human-Animal Bond Research Institution at: https://habri.org/research/mental-health/conditions/

***Research summaries were obtained from the above-mentioned site.

 

How You Can Help Animals Today!

Oak Haven believes all beings are worth compassion. Here are some ideas you can do to change the world today.

  • Donate to or volunteer at local animal rescues and sanctuaries.

  • Adopt animals from rescues, not breeders or pet stores.

  • Buy cosmetics that are cruelty-free and vegan.

  • Learn more about “the LINK”, an organization offering education on the correlation between animal, child, and elder abuse, and domestic violence. The National LINK Coalition is working on increasing communication and cooperation between the systems that care for abuse survivors to increase safety for humans and animals. https://nationallinkcoalition.org/

  • Use abillion app: for every review of a plant-based food product, abillion donates one dollar to animal advocacy groups, including sanctuaries.

  • Contact your legislators and request that they pass animal-friendly legislation. Follow the Humane Society of the United States on social media for calls to action.