Grant: Applied Public Health Chair - LOI

This research program builds on the cross-cultural insight that people tend to include pet animals in their lives so as to enhance satisfaction and a sense of meaning. Further, taking care of pets involves caring for one's self and others, which the World Health Organization identifies as the basis for promoting human health. A dog who 'says hello' at the end of the day can foster a sense of worthiness, and when the same dog 'says hello' to other dogs on daily walks around the neighbourhood, strangers can be brought into conversation. Neighbours who take turns looking after each others' cats also build a connection. Elderly citizens make sure their beloved pets never go hungry. The list of how pets are embedded in emotional well-being could go on practically forever. The proposed Chair will involve carefully examining policies, practices and settings that promote mental health by supporting people's efforts to care for pets, and by helping to mitigate the potential for pets to harm or annoy others. As pets come under municipal jurisdiction, the main partnership is local. Building on past successes and established relationships for continual sharing of knowledge, the City of Calgary will function as a 'living laboratory.' Nevertheless, there are implications for provincial and national policies (e.g., on income security and housing security). In addition, the lessons learned will have relevance internationally. Contributions will include novel insights and new leverage points in policies, practices, and settings to promote mental health. These contributions could be missed, if the significance of pets is not taken seriously. Emerging talent aligned to this Chair program includes assistant professors and advanced trainees. Additional collaborators include established investigators in veterinary medicine. The research environment is anchored by the Population Health & Inequities Research Centre, within the Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary.