The Human-Animal Bond

1
The Human-Animal Bond

• Office Management

2
Introduction

• Human-Animal Bond Definition-

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.
3
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.

4
(No Transcript)
5
Pets or 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)

6
(No Transcript)
7
More statistics and thoughts

• 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

8
(No Transcript)
9
Finances on Pets

• 41 Billion was spent on pets in 2007.

10
(No Transcript)
11
How do Pets Function in Modern Society?

• Assistance animals
• Helpers (i.e. hearing, sight, seizure detection)
• Visitation
• Therapy programs (physical, mental,
  skill-building)
• Search and rescue dogs
• Bomb detection dogs
• Police dogs
• Police horses

12
(No Transcript)
13
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

14
More Benefits to Humans

• Alzheimers patients allowed to observe fish
  demonstrated improved relaxation, alertness, and
  eating habits
• Positive impact on the lonely, emotionally or
  physically impaired

15
Benefits to Children

• 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

16
Equine Therapy

• To give those in search of help and
  self-discovery the opportunity to grow and
  experience well being through the healing power
  of horses.

17

• Animals in classrooms
• Motivate students to work well
• Improve behavior
• Provide care-giving opportunities important to
  psychological development

18
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

19
Pets and Disasters

• 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)

20

• Sometimes having pet and being able to care for
  pet is the only stabilizing factor left by the
  natural disaster.

21
(No Transcript)
22
Other Notes

• Generally pets are referred to as he or she and
  almost never as it.
• Most pet owners freely admit to talking to their
  pet and feeling that their pet understands what
  they are speaking about.

23

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5T-sLDb7YBw
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?voiGKWoJi5qMfeature
  related
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vjcHM0Bg1j74
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vGZc4Jks_f_Q