Human/Animal Bond
The Issue
Perhaps Roger Caras said it best: "[Animals] are not our whole lives, they make our lives whole." The emotional attachment between people and animals is well documented. The consultation identified two areas for discussion.
1) The strength or weakness of guardians' attachment for their pets has been identified as the main factor in why pets are given up. When people are highly bonded to their pets, they will often find alternatives for solving problems rather than relinquishing the animal to a shelter. A well-behaved and affectionate pet, as well as a good guardian-pet match, are the main factors influencing the strength of the bond.
2) Research of the bond provides evidence of its health benefits to humans. Our relations with animals can improve our physical and mental health, enhance empathy and IQ in children, increase social contact between humans and buffer the stresses of urban life. Since animals provide unconditional love they can also be used to help at-risk youth and adults to develop empathy skills and provide healing where there has been physical or mental abuse. Shelter animals have been integrated into this kind of programming by humane societies across North America.
The BC SPCA currently has a cat care program at the Sumas Correctional Centre where inmates take care of surplus cats until they can be moved to shelters for adoption. The Vancouver Regional Branch is working with street youth to help them learn appropriate care and treatment of their own animal companions. In addition, the BC SPCA offers two education courses that focus on the therapeutic application of the human/animal bond.
In seeking public feedback the BC SPCA invited input on a range of issues that influence the human/animal bond, from access to pet friendly housing to programs aimed at improving people's health and welfare using the human/animal bond. Feedback was also sought regarding the BC SPCA's adoption process and how it could be improved to ensure that new animal guardians understand the importance of human/animal relations and are willing to assume the responsibilities associated with being a pet guardian. As well, the BC SPCA asked how it should handle animals with behavioural problems in terms of assessment and adoption.
Public Feedback
Submissions fully support renters having access to pet friendly housing and call on the BC SPCA to become a stronger advocate in this area. Promoting the human health benefits of human-animal relations is recommended as a strategy. Animal companionship is noted to be of importance to seniors who are perhaps more likely to run into restrictions.
Most submissions support programs aimed at improving people's health and welfare using the human/animal bond such as pet visitation at seniors' homes, and training health professionals to integrate animals into their therapeutic practices. Animal companionship is noted as being especially beneficial to seniors. One submission notes that the BC SPCA should be more proactive in adopting more dogs to extended care facilities.
Some submissions recommend partnering with social agencies in creating early intervention violence-prevention programs that help youth and others deal with violent and antisocial behaviour. Suggestions include integrating animals into juvenile detention centres and other social services facilities.
To help prospective adopters make an appropriate guardian-pet match, submissions recommend that behavioural profiles be prepared and posted with all BC SPCA shelter animals up for adoption. To promote pet retention, a1-800 line is recommended to provide guardians of shelter animals with necessary information and support. Submissions note that ample information should be available at the time of adoption and after, in a continuous effort to help people better understand and care for their animal companions. In-home guidance is also suggested as a means of support.
Recommendations
Some of the recommendations we are putting forward have been addressed earlier under Animal Shelters. However, they bear repeating. These recommendations, which address the issue of pet retention, include improving the adoption process to ensure a suitable pet/guardian match is achieved, together with the provision of ample pet care information and follow-up support. Every effort should be made by the BC SPCA to emphasize the importance of responsible pet ownership and the mutual benefits of the human/animal bond.
We also emphasize the importance of developing animal behaviour profiles for shelter animals and working with behaviourists to assess and, where possible, retrain animals with problems.
We believe that the BC SPCA should be involved in promoting the health benefits of the human/animal bond. In addition to pet visitation programs, which are already in place, the BC SPCA should make efforts to adopt animals to long-term care facilities.
Research has shown that there is a link between youth and animal abuse and acts of violence in later life. Therefore there seems to be value in partnering with social agencies to create early intervention prevention programs. This is being done in some other provinces in Canada. Working more closely with the law enforcement community will help both the BC SPCA and law enforcers to identify abusers and break the cycle of abuse.
It is a fact that abused persons will stay in an abusive relationship rather than leave a pet with the abuser. Under a broad partnership in effect with the BC Yukon Society of Transition Houses, several BC SPCA branches have relationships with transition houses to assist people who are trying to leave abusive relationships and we commend this initiative. We recommend that efforts in this area be continued and strengthened.
In terms of pets in rental housing, the BC SPCA first needs to establish a prioritized advocacy agenda. Advocacy is discussed later in this report.
Our specific recommendations call on the BC SPCA to:
Promote health benefits of the human/animal bond
Long-term
• Investigate how the BC SPCA could adopt animals to long-term care facilities.

• Establish a process whereby the BC SPCA and the law enforcement community exchange animal/people abuse information in an effort to break the cycle.

• Research partnerships with social agencies to create early intervention violence programs.

• Continue and strengthen efforts to support people with pets who are leaving a physically abusive domestic situation.
Ongoing
• Continue to build on the partnership with the Sumas correctional facility to create additional opportunities where unwanted animals can be housed and cared for.

• Continue to offer education on the therapeutic application of the human/animal bond.
Promote adoption/pet retention
Short-term
• Ensure that comprehensive animal profiles are posted on cages/kennels of all shelter animals and that all information (history, behavioural and medical) goes with the animal when it is transferred between shelters.

• Implement adoption screening/counseling programs at all BC SPCA shelters to help successfully match people to suitable animal companions and to provide information on all aspects of responsible pet care.

• Provide adoption follow-up and support services to those who have adopted shelter animals; consider a 1-800 information and support line.
Long-term
• Establish standard animal behavioural assessment procedures utilizing the services of qualified animal behaviourists.

• Determine how the BC SPCA can best support responsible renters in adopting and keeping their pets.