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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

From In-Person To Virtual: A Case Study Of An Animal-Assisted Visiting Program In A Pediatric Setting, Whitney Romine Feb 2023

From In-Person To Virtual: A Case Study Of An Animal-Assisted Visiting Program In A Pediatric Setting, Whitney Romine

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

This article focuses on the practical aspects of converting a successful in-person AAA program to a virtual program in a health care setting including human, canine, and physical resources; animal welfare considerations; training, infection control, and safety guidelines; and visit delivery procedures. In 1992, an interdisciplinary team at Akron Children’s Hospital founded the Doggie Brigade, an animal-assisted activities (AAA) program where volunteer therapy dogs and their handlers visit pediatric patients. The program has become a cornerstone of the hospital’s culture over its now 30-year tenure. In March 2020, the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic forced health care organizations to suspend …


Mothers’ Reflections On Cat Ownership For A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Covid-19, Saskia Keville, Sophia De Vita, Amanda K. Ludlow Jul 2022

Mothers’ Reflections On Cat Ownership For A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Covid-19, Saskia Keville, Sophia De Vita, Amanda K. Ludlow

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Animal- assisted interventions are increasingly used as a complementary therapy in clinical practice to support people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with promising outcomes compared to traditional therapies. Less is understood about the therapeutic benefits of more accessible and affordable small pet ownership for families with a child with ASD, alongside the pets’ welfare living in these homes. This study explored the experiences of cat ownership for young people with ASD from the perspective of their mothers during a time of transition generated by COVID-19. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six mothers and transcripts analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three …


Attitude Toward Companion And Guard Dogs In Hawaii: Health And Welfare Implications, Lynn Morrison, Julie Ann Luiz Adrian, Marina Kelley, Johana Hill, Zachariah Tman, Dana-Lynn Ko'omoa-Lange Oct 2021

Attitude Toward Companion And Guard Dogs In Hawaii: Health And Welfare Implications, Lynn Morrison, Julie Ann Luiz Adrian, Marina Kelley, Johana Hill, Zachariah Tman, Dana-Lynn Ko'omoa-Lange

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

The island of Hawaii exhibits extremes in dog welfare ranging from dogs as family members to dogs used as commodities, either as guard or hunting dogs, with many lacking appropriate care. This study offers a preliminary exploration of people’s attitudes toward companion and noncompanion dogs and the health and welfare implications for humans and dogs. Data collection included interviews and surveys conducted among 20 companion dog/human and eight guard dog/human dyads. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored during interviews to assess stress. The results of the interview data led to five themes. The first two themes describing contexts of dog welfare …


Bearing Witness To The Beauty Of Enactive Kinesthetic Empathy Across Species In Canine-Human And Equine-Human Interactions: Participant-Observation Ethnographies, Donna A. Carlyle, Pamela Graham Apr 2021

Bearing Witness To The Beauty Of Enactive Kinesthetic Empathy Across Species In Canine-Human And Equine-Human Interactions: Participant-Observation Ethnographies, Donna A. Carlyle, Pamela Graham

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Through observations from ethnographic fieldwork the authors seek to highlight the significance of equine-human and canine-human communication to the fields of both human- animal studies and eudaimonia theories of human well-being. As we shared our insights through academic conversations about our respective research findings, we realized that both studies explore the enigmatic and significant concept of kinesthetic empathy in communication and relationship building between horses and young people and between dogs and young children. The canine-child setting (Study A) is a primary school and classroom in which the children voted to share their environment with a school dog, and the …