The Human–Animal Bond: Essential Elements in Veterinary Education

摘要

It was not much more than 30 years ago that Dean Leo Bustad of Washington State University said that "all the world's researchers interested in the human–animal bond could fit into one small office." Although this mutual attachment between humans and animals is intuitive, during the ensuing years Bustad and other veterinary advocates of the human–animal bond (HAB) formally brought the concept to the forefront as a professional responsibility, and colleges and schools of veterinary medicine officially endorsed the HAB as a fundamental topic in the veterinary medical curriculum. nnThe HAB is now a major field of study, both enhanced and hampered by its multidisciplinary nature. Centers have proliferated in veterinary colleges since the introduction of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society (CIAS) at the University of Pennsylvania. Each center has evolved with differing emphases; in fact, their roles in veterinary education are still being explored. nnIn May 2006, Purdue University, with support from Merial, sponsored a Conference on the Veterinary Centers of the HAB. Participants from veterinary centers addressed issues of mutual interest, including funding, collaborative research, and the role centers play in veterinary education. The goals of this conference were to document what activities were occurring in veterinary centers and their role in veterinary education and to explore areas of possible collaboration. As guest editors, we have enjoyed participating in the culmination of this project, and we thank the authors for their contribution to the growing field of research on the human–animal bond.