Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies, Poway, CA
Good Cause:
The Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies is dedicated to exploring the connections between people and animals. The organization develops curricula and programs focused on human-animal interaction, and conducts research to evaluate the effects of such programs.
Great Results:
Great results include writing a winning grant proposal in response to the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation’s call for research proposals to investigate the health outcomes of animal-assisted activities, for both the people and animals involved. We worked with the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies to design the study and then crafted the proposal, which focused on testing the effectiveness of Listening EARS, a classroom-based program that uses small animals (i.e., rabbits and guinea pigs)—that may already be in classrooms—to help children to improve reading proficiency. The study will advance knowledge about how interaction with an animal can improve third grade students’ oral fluency and reading comprehension. It also offers the potential to demonstrate the effectiveness of a program that includes small animals as an alternative to trained dogs. HABRI awarded the Association more than $13,000 to conduct the study.