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The Spillover Effect of a Flood on Pets and Their People: Implications for Rental Housing
Contributor(s):: Graham, Taryn M., Rock, Melanie J.
When disasters strike, companion animals (pets) matter. Emergency planning for them is a key aspect of disaster preparedness, especially considering that people may delay evacuation out of concern for their pets. Temporary boarding options for pets are important; however, caregivers (owners) must...
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Race and ethnicity are not primary determinants in utilizing veterinary services in underserved communities in the United States
Contributor(s):: Sparks, Jessica L. Decker, Camacho, Bridget, Tedeschi, Philip, Morris, Kevin N.
A retrospective database analysis (2011–2015) evaluated associations between race and ethnicity and veterinary service utilization by sampling 83,260 companion animals whose guardians (owners) self-identified as White, Black, or Latino/a from 39 Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life...
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Factors Influencing Time to Adoption for Dogs in a Provincial Shelter System in Canada
Contributor(s):: Kay, Aileigh, Coe, Jason B., Young, Ian, Pearl, David
Millions of companion animals are relinquished to shelters each year. For each dog entering, their characteristics and the characteristics of the shelter holding him/her influence their time to adoption. Using a Cox proportional hazards frailty model, these issues were explored using data from 31...
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Effect of Adopters' Lifestyles and Animal-Care Knowledge on Their Expectations Prior to Companion-Animal Guardianship
Contributor(s):: O'Connor, Rachel, Coe, Jason B., Niel, Lee, Jones-Bitton, Andria
Human expectations can greatly affect the human–companion animal relationship, sometimes putting nonhuman animals at risk for relinquishment. At 20 animal shelters in Southern Ontario, Canada, potential adopters (N = 234) completed a questionnaire regarding their lifestyle, companion animal-care...
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Companion-Animal Caregiver Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Regarding End-of-Life Care
Contributor(s):: Heuberger, Roschelle A., Pierce, Jessica
Although awareness of end-of-life care is growing within the veterinary field and there appears to be consumer demand for these services, it is unclear exactly what caregivers know about end-of-life options for their companion animals. Are companion-animal caregivers aware of the range of options...
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Companion Animals in Natural Disasters: A Scoping Review of Scholarly Sources
Contributor(s):: Travers, Cheryl, Degeling, Chris, Rock, Melanie
During a disaster, people may make evacuation decisions based on their companion animal’s welfare, therefore exposing themselves, their companion animals, and emergency responders to increased risk for injury or death. The loss and suffering of companion animals in disasters causes deep distress,...
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A Collaborative Model for Managing Animal Hoarding Cases
Contributor(s):: Strong, Sandra, Federico, Jennifer, Banks, Ron, Williams, Cathy
Companion-animal hoarding is a significant problem in the United States and internationally. Hoarding situations can incubate for years before a case is reported to law enforcement or animal control agencies. According to a survey by Gary Patronek, animal control agencies have estimated there are...
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Analysis of Dog Adoption Success and Failure Using Surveys With Vignettes
Contributor(s):: Hill, Stephen E., Murphy, Nancy C.
Adoption success of dogs who serve as companion animals was analyzed via surveys with vignettes. The researchers administered surveys with vignettes to animal shelter employees, veterinarians, and other animal-care professionals in Eastern North Carolina. Logistic and linear regression analyses...
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Relationships Between People with Cancer and Their Companion Animals: What Helps and Hinders
Contributor(s):: Nitkin, Patricia, Buchanan, Marla J.
This qualitative research project examined the impact of the relationships between persons with cancer and their companion animals. The goal of this study was to explore the helpful and unhelpful aspects of having a companion animal for people with cancer dealing with the emotional challenges...
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A Scoping Review of the Health and Social Benefits of Dog Ownership for People Who Have Chronic Pain
Contributor(s):: Carr, Eloise C. J., Norris, Jill M., Hayden, K. Alix, Pater, Rianne, Wallace, Jean E.
Chronic pain is a significant cause of morbidity and disability globally. One potential strategy for the self-management of chronic pain is interacting with companion animals; more specifically, dogs. While studies of dog ownership suggest social, psychological, and health benefits to humans, the...
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Pet Attachment in the Context of Family Conflict
Contributor(s):: Applebaum, Jennifer W., Zsembik, Barbara A.
Previous research shows that companion animals can have a positive effect on their owner’s health and may also serve as a buffer to stress. Despite this, few studies have investigated the role of the pet in adverse or tumultuous family circumstances. In this study, we explored whether reported...
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Attitudes Toward Animals Among Spanish Primary School Children
Contributor(s):: Menor-Campos, David José, Hawkins, Roxanne, Williams, Joanne M.
Adult attitudes toward animals have received extensive research attention. By contrast, despite the importance of child–animal interactions for children’s development and animal welfare, children’s attitudes toward animals have not been fully explored. The aim of this study was, therefore, to...
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Future Directions for Research on Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population
Contributor(s):: Gee, Nancy R., Galik, Elizabeth
This final paper in the thematic issue, “Human–Animal Interaction and Healthy Human Aging,” highlights and distills key points from the series of papers and provides recommendations for improving and expanding Human–Animal Interaction (HAI) research into healthy human aging. This paper also...
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Pets in the Lives of Older Adults: A Life Course Perspective
Contributor(s):: Bibbo, Jessica, Curl, Angela L., Johnson, Rebecca A.
This study employed the life course perspective to investigate the convergence of two demographic shifts: the aging of the population and the increase of pet ownership. Specifically, we examined whether pet ownership, the degree of bond with a pet, and reasons for and against pet ownership...
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Successful Aging, Social Support, and Ownership of a Companion Animal
Contributor(s):: Pruchno, Rachel, Heid, Allison R., Wilson-Genderson, Maureen
Studies consistently find that higher levels of social support improve the psychological and physiological health of older people, but findings from empirical research are mixed regarding the presence of a “pet effect”— the idea that living with an animal can improve human health, psychological...
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“They Burn Brightly, But Only for a Short Time”: The Role of Social Workers in Companion Animal Grief and Loss
Contributor(s):: Laing, Melissa, Maylea, Christopher
The human–animal bond is a relational theory which describes the dynamic between humans and nonhuman animals that satisfies needs in each for companionship and emotional support, framing companion animals as valued family members. Social workers have historically ignored the central role...
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An Examination of Adult Women’s Sleep Quality and Sleep Routines in Relation to Pet Ownership and Bedsharing
Contributor(s):: Hoffman, Christy L., Stutz, Kaylee, Vasilopoulos, Terrie
People in many parts of the world commonly share their beds not only with human partners but also with dogs and cats. Self-report and actigraphy data have shown that sleeping with an adult human partner has both positive and negative impacts on human sleep, but there has been little exploration...
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Using Attachment Theory and Social Support Theory to Examine and Measure Pets as Sources of Social Support and Attachment Figures
Contributor(s):: Meehan, Michael, Massavelli, Bronwyn, Pachana, Nancy
Companion animals are increasingly being recognized by society as beneficial to our health and considered by many owners as authentic and affectional family members. Human relationship theories help us to understand the emotional and supportive aspect of the human– companion animal bond. This...
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Children Love Their Pets: Do Relationships between Children and Pets Co-vary with Taxonomic Order, Gender, and Age?
Contributor(s):: Hirschenhauser, Katharina, Meichel, Yasmine, Schmalzer, Sabrina, Beetz, Andrea M.
Generally, children love their pets. However, a deeper insight into the beneficial effects of pets on the physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and development of children is needed. This study investigated whether children have more intense relationships with animals which are...
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Role of 4-H Dog Programs in Life Skills Development
Contributor(s):: Ellsworth, Lindsay Madden, Keen, Heidi A., Mills, Paulette E., Newman, Jerry, Martin, François, Coffey, Todd, Newberry, Ruth C.
Stress management, resilience, learning-to-learn, self-esteem, and empathy are life skills that play a pivotal role in the psychosocial development of youth who are prepared to manage everyday challenges, and are caring toward people and animals. We hypothesized that 4-H dog club membership is...
