How pets can keep us healthy
Human-Animal Interaction Conference explores the healing powers of furry companions
Tuffy the miniature horse is cute, right? A pet, a mascot, a conversation piece?
Don’t let his stature deceive you. Tuffy is a workhorse. He’s a vital team member in the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) at Mizzou.
Tuffy (right), his colleague Cookie (below) and scores of other animals help researchers investigate the benefits of humans’ relationships with pets. Their participation in HAI studies expands health-care professionals’ knowledge of how animals can help their human companions stay fit, lose weight, recover from illnesses, learn to read, adapt to the aging process, reduce depression and anxiety, and improve their overall well-being. Animals help perform day-to-day tasks for people with disabilities and, in some cases, may even be able to detect cancer in its early stages.
This week ReCHAI hosts the International Society for Anthrozoology Human-Animal Interaction Conference at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. From Oct. 20 through Oct. 25, scientists discuss the roles of human-animal bonds in fields such as in nursing, veterinary medicine, psychology and weight management.
Students in Professor Rebecca A. Johnson’s human-companion animal interaction course circle Cookie the therapy horse. Johnson is the director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction and this week leads a conference about the health benefits human-animal bonds. Photos by Shane Epping.
Marty Becker, a veterinary contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, gives a special presentation at the conference called “The Power of Love: The science and the soul behind that affection-connection we call The Bond.” Conference-goers also can expect appearances by four-legged experts.
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