The Pet Care Trust - News Releases

In 1997, three of eight projects funded by the Pet Care Trust related to the essential nature of pet ownership and animal interaction as it relates to human health and well being. The PCT is the industry's education and research foundation dedicated to public understanding of the value of and the right to enjoy companion animals. There is an established body of information that connects human health with animal interaction. Most people who have pets know intuitively of the benefits, but the quantification of "better health" or "longer life" or "less stress" with animal interaction, needs documentation before it will be accepted by a conservative medical services community.

The PCT Board of Trustees are very interested in and supportive of human-animal interaction as it relates to health. The Trust met with Jim Wingate, Committee Chair and Bill Schoolman, Exec. Director, of American Pet Products Manufacturers Assoc. to discuss their program "It's Never Been Healthier to Own a Pet". The two groups agreed to work together and share information in this important arena. Funda Alp at the APPMA office, coordinates programs regarding the history, information and APPMA programs [203-532-0000]. Dr. Alan Beck, Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Applied Ethology and Human-Animal Interaction is preeminent in this field and a wealth of information. The PCT and APPMA have worked with Dr. Beck related to information and literature searches supporting human health and the human-animal interaction effects.

PCT granted programs related to human-animal interaction, include the following:

The Tufts University Center for Animals and Public Policy, conference development of "Pet Ownership, Attachment and Human Health". The grant was awarded to Gary Patronek, VMD, PhD], who will convened a one day Spring 1998, conference on the effects of animal interaction on human health. The PCT funded conference, charted a course regarding the need to develop more information to convince the medical community about the value of human-pet interaction.
The PetSafe program at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine directed by Janice Sojka, DVM, is designed to assist with pet animals involved in cases of domestic violence. What happens to the pets when a woman and children go to a safe house? PetSafe provides a solution for care and preserves an important link between the children and the pets that could be lost during the break in the household. The PCT Board also provided an additional grant to purchase 38 videos from the Latham Foundation, who has produced the video "Breaking the Cycles of Violence". The Latham Foundation has been working with human-animal interaction issues since the turn of the century and can be reached at 510-521-0920. The Spring 1997 Latham Letter has good articles on the influence of animals on human health.
The Delta Society, Linda Hines, Exec. Director, has received a PCT grant for a three year period, as a small part of a large number of donors funding a $3 million program to train and use stray dogs as service dogs for people with a variety of disabilities. Delta is an active and leading society in the development of human-animal interaction. They provide access to an extensive library, offer information and can be reached at 1-800-809-2714, in Renton, WA.