Research Indicates Therapy Dog Interventions Reduce Loneliness

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced results of a randomized clinical trial that indicate the presence of a therapy dog contributes to greater immediate improvement in loneliness for psychiatric inpatients than visits from another person, or standard care alone. This study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, was conducted by Dr. Nancy Gee, Director for the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, and colleagues.