Melissa Domsic
Special for The State News
The bond between a human and an animal is like love, veterinarian and author Marty Becker said in his presentation during the third annual Human-Animal Bond Initiative's Conference held Friday and Saturday at the Kellogg Center.
"It's nebulous but easily understood by any of us that share our lives with pets," he said.
Becker was one of many professionals that spoke at the conference on this year's theme, "The Science Behind Our Relationship With Animals: Cuddle a Critter and Call Me in the Morning."
Lana Kaiser, a professor in the College of Nursing and of Human Medicine, is the coordinator of the Human-Animal Bond Initiative, an MSU-based group that brings people from on and off campus to study the human-animal bond.
"Our goal is to enhance the understanding of the relationship between humans and animals," Kaiser said. "To do that, we want to present the most up-to-date research and bring professionals from all over the world."
In order to reach their goals and become "a force to be reckoned with," Kaiser said the group needed to have the conference.
The seminar, sponsored by MSU's College of Nursing, the School of Social Work and the Department of Animal Science, brought together human medicine and animal medicine. It hosted several speakers in areas ranging from veterinary medicine to psychology.
"We were lucky enough to get Dr. Becker this year," Kaiser said.
Becker, who is a nationally known veterinarian and author, appears regularly on ABC's "Good Morning America." Becker has contributed to books such as "Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul," "Chicken Soup For The Cat And Dog Lover's Soul," "The Healing Power of Pets" and his latest, "Chicken Soup For The Horse Lover's Soul." He also appeared in this month's Cosmopolitan magazine.
At the conference, Becker focused on the theory that pets heal through intimacy.
"The deeper physical and emotional relationship you have with a pet, the more powerful the healing," Becker said.
More than 90 veterinarians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and students from all over the state and country attended the conference.
"I came hoping to learn about new research and make some new contacts," said Deanna Douglas, a graduate student at Wichita State University. Douglas said she traveled from Kansas to attend the conference, which she hoped to include in her graduate thesis statement.
Veterinary student Jillian Taylor said the conference showed her the importance of relationships between humans and animals.
"I have a very strong interest in the human-animal bond," Taylor said. "I want to get info to hopefully help me one day in practice."
Taylor also had a poster on display at the conference on behalf of the Pet Loss Support Line, a hotline for callers who experience the loss of a pet.
Even with television appearances, a syndicated column and multiple books out, Becker said he made sure he had time to come to MSU for the conference.
"This is one of those genesis kind of groups looking at the positive effects of pets and well-being," Becker said. "We'll look back 10 years from now and see that this group was a pioneer."
