Val’s Pals: Rescue Animal Rehabilitation Services is a non-profit corporation and shall be exclusively for educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future tax code. Val’s Pals Rescue Animal Rehabilitation Services serves to promote the enhancement of the human-animal bond within the domain of animals rescued from abandonment, abuse, neglect, and other forms of undue harm.
1. Support entities which promote and utilize the human-animal bond in ways which contribute to the development and maintenance of biopsychosocial health in humans and/or rescued animals by assisting with the purchase of needed materials for continued quality care*. This can include but is not limited to: food, water, shelter, blankets, brushes, treats, medical supplies, and mental enrichment products.
2. Provide and/or support entities who provide education to the greater community regarding rescue animal behavior, ethology, and positive reward-based only training.
3. Provide and/or support entities who provide education to the greater community regarding animal welfare, ethical treatment, and ethical considerations of companion-animal acquisition.
4. Provide and/or support entities who provide education to the greater community regarding the benefits of developing positive and reciprocal relationships within the context of the human-animal bond as it pertains to rescued animals.
*Quality care is defined as meeting the ethological, environmental, and behavioral needs of living beings including enjoyment and contentment. This does not include anything which contributes to the experience of discomfort, fear, manipulation, or coercion. Quality care includes, but is not limited to "The Five Freedoms" as outlined by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee:
freedom from hunger and thirst
freedom from discomfort
freedom to express normal behavior
freedom from fear and distress
freedom from pain, injury, or disease
HAB as defined by the American Veterinarian Medical Association:
"The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors essential to the health and wellbeing of both. This includes, among other things, emotional, psychological, and physical interactions of people, animals, and the environment."
Per the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education:
"Webster has identified increased awareness of animal sentience as the single most effective step toward increasing the sum of human compassion, noting that children are motivated to love their pets, which can be converted to motivation to care for their pets, and from this point they can be motivated to extend compassion to all sentient animals. At the societal level, therefore, strong HABs arising from pet ownership are likely to be good for animal welfare in general, as they help to improve how a nation perceives and treats its animals."
Per the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
"Pet ownership has many possible mental health benefits. It has been shown to reduce stress, depression and anxiety and improve overall quality of life in many ways. Pets provide a calm presence, can divert negative thoughts and promote exercise. Caring for pets can help commit owners to routines, such as daily walking, create a sense of purpose and accomplishment, and facilitate social and community interactions and integration. Some of these benefits can come from just petting or playing with pets. However, the greatest direct benefit of pet ownership is emotional companionship. All loving pet owners know this, but the impact on people living with mental illness can be profound. It can even be life-saving."
Per CABI:
"A strong human-animal bond is also beneficial for the companion animal; owners are more likely to take their pets for routine examinations and notice physical and behavioral changes indicative of disease."
For sources cited and additional information, please visit:
https://www.avma.org/one-health/human-animal-bond
https://jvme.utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/jvme.35.4.532
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/November-2020/The-Remarkable-Human-Animal-Bond
https://www.cabi.org/wp-content/uploads/Hot_Topics_Human-animal_bond.pdf