The Magic of the Human-Animal Bond is Everywhere

I am obsessed with the Human Animal Bond and have been for a very long time so it brings me great joy that the HAB now has a whole day dedicated to it.

Happy HAB Day Folks! November 8^th is officially International Human Animal Bond Day and this year we are celebrating the magic of the Human Animal Bond, (known to us as HAB). Last week our team shared clips of magic and love with their pets to create this cute video here:

Our friends at the Australian Veterinary Association featured our work in this lovely article for HAB Day. Celebrating Human-Animal Bond Day: Compassion that connects communities Thank you!

It seems the HAB is everywhere these days. Just in the last month the HAB has made headlines several times.

1. One of my all-time favourite actresses Diane Keaton died, leaving a large part of her estate to her dog. This did not come as a surprise to me as she was known for her love of animals. I am often asked by clients to help guide them in making plans for their pets beyond themselves. I regularly connect clients to a local Wills & Estate Lawyer to have the conversation around how best to provide for their pets in their Will. The Conversation shared a great piece on this recently.

One of our key services at Cherished Pets Foundation is Emergency Pet Care planning. What will happen to my pet if something happens to me? This is a question we all must ask. Whatever our circumstances. Planning for your pet in the event of you being unwell, incapacitated or worse case, dead, is the responsible thing to do.

2. Virgin Airlines launched their first pet-friendly flight service. This initiative has been received with great excitement by pet lovers, but according to comments on the socials, not every one is loving this. The restrictions are significant eg only pets less than 8kgs are eligible and I am sure there are behind the scenes teething problems rolling out! Here’s a wrap about the first flight from Australian Financial Review’s Sam Irvine: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/travel/virgin-s-first-flight-with-pets-on-board-review-20251013-p5n26l.

Flying with our pets is definitely becoming a thing as the HAB lands itself more firmly in the lap of life. Just recently I came across Retrievair in the USA, which is a private flight company specialising in flying with pets where your cherished buddy gets his own seat. Follow them on Instagram and watch this space.

3. In my home State of Victoria the Pet Burial Amendment has been passed, allowing people to be legally buried with their pets. No more sneaking ashes into coffins or getting knocked back by cemetery managers. We have seen this step coming for a long time, because it is a common request, and by in large it is welcomed.

In 2024 I was interviewed for this piece by Cassandra Morgan from AAP on this very topic: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8533768/pet-owners-make-dying-wish-to-be-buried-with-fur-family/

I am still getting my head around what this actually means, and can see some complexity arising. While this change in legislation sounds lovely on paper - finally recognizing that the HAB matters even in death - I can already see the shadow scenarios playing out. What happens when someone is terminally ill and requests for their healthy 8-year-old dog to be euthanised so they can be buried together? I have been asked before to euthanise pets to be with their owner when they die, and I can see this scenario arising. In some instances it is justified, such as a recent case I supported where my client had weeks to live, and we made the decision to euthanise her 16yo Poodle who was struggling with diabetes and dementia. That was ok. But I have seen how grief and fear can cloud judgement and predict there will be some tricky cases arising as a result of this new legislation.

Celebrating the bond also means protecting it from being twisted into something harmful. That’s the real work of HAB Day - not just celebrating these bonds, but making sure we’re protecting them too.

4. What really excites me is the rising body of scientific research in to diverse perspectives of the HAB. This article was recently shared with me by our very own Dr Alex England, whose main role is at Lyka . This paper talks about how nutrition and the HAB play a role in overall wellbeing. I can see a rise in research topics to come around the HAB and pet nutrition as I am observing in practice that my clients who perhaps have the stronger bonds are the ones who are prepared to go above and beyond to ensure their cherished pet is fed the best.

“Pet humanization, particularly in dogs and cats, has transformed animal healthcare and highlighted the importance of nutrition in promoting human-pet social interaction, pet psychophysical well-being and, possibly, longevity.’ - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41150104/

5. We launched our HABCare team at Cherished Pets. Our multidisciplinary team has evolved over the past ten years, in particular since 2020 when we first introduced the veterinary social worker role. In 2025 we have taken some breathing space to really consider the future design of an effective, community-centred, multi-disciplinary care team that sits at the bridge between veterinary and human health services. The HAB Practitioner Roles allow for diverse scope and professional perspectives in responding to the animal and human needs arising around the bond. This is a very exciting time in the development of our social veterinary service and I want to give a huge shout out to Jane Boag, who has been walking this path with me since 2016 and in her current role of Program Manager has led the design of this new model of care.

Gratitude to the founders of International Human Animal Bond Day too: Human Animal Bond Association (USA) and the Society for Companion Animal Studies. And to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute for your incredible advocacy too.

Finally I am sharing this amazing resource collated by Human Animal Social Services in the USA – a complilation of evidence in the HAB space. A living document and one to bookmark! Evidence for Supporting Human-Animal Bonds: Resource Collection

So it’s Happy HAB Day from me. As I finish this piece it has clocked into Sunday 9^th, but it is still HAB Day in the USA!!