Austin pet shelter includes mental health in its approach by focusing on 'both sides of the leash'
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The moniker “man’s best friend” rings true for many dog owners. In fact, the majority of pet owners say their pets have a positive impact on their mental health.
That’s according to a 2023 poll from the American Psychiatric Association.
Results from the poll showed that 86% of pet owners said their pets have a mostly positive impact on their mental health, and 88% of pet owners said they consider their pets a part of their family, per the American Psychiatric Association.
According to a breakdown of the poll, those who said their pets positively impact their mental health cited several key benefits, including the following:
- Help reduce stress and anxiety (69%)
- Provide unconditional love and support (69%)
- Offer companionship (69%)
- Provide a calming presence (66%)
- Are true friends (63%)
Here in Austin, pets are a big part of society. Pet owners can find plenty of entertainment and lifestyle options that cater to pet ownership, like pet-friendly restaurants and apartments. A Zillow analysis released in 2023 ranked Austin as the most pet-friendly city in the United States for renters.
The city of Austin also has initiatives focused on animal services, such as the Austin Animal Advisory Commission, the Austin Animal Services Office and the Animal Service Office’s five-year strategic plan.
There are also several animal shelters and rescue organizations in Austin. KXAN spoke with one of them about the effects pets can have on people’s mental health.
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), is one shelter that takes the human-animal relationship into consideration in its approach to pet services. APA! said in a press release that adopting a pet not only saves the life of that animal, but it can also improve the life of their owner.
“What we see again and again is that these animals, many of whom came from heartbreaking situations, thrive in homes. And they often bring healing to their adopters in the process,” Dr. Alexis Bardzinski, APA!’s Medical Director, said in the release.
Brittany Szalkiewicz, the Social Work Program Coordinator for Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), joined KXAN on Monday to discuss the ways APA! approaches pet owners’ mental health, as well as the mutual benefits for pets and people when animals are adopted.
Szalkiewicz said veterinary social work focuses on “both sides of the leash.”
She works with APA!’s PASS Program — Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender. The program helps community members who are experiencing a crisis or life challenge that is preventing them to care for their pet. The program works to see what services those community members can receive so they can keep their pet in their home, Szalkiewicz explained.
Szalkiewicz talked about the American Psychiatric Association poll’s statistic that 86% of pet owners said their pets have a positive impact on their mental health. “That looks like a lot of different things,” she said.
“It can be just that companionship, the decrease in loneliness in your home, as well as things like increased structure in your day. So, physical activity, reduced stress and anxiety,” Szalkiewicz said. “With kids, it can look like increased social skills, and there’s just a lot of different parts of your life that can be impacted positively by having a companion animal.”
APA! is also part of the national program Human Animal Support Services, or HASS. It’s a program that “provides communities with social service-oriented and diversified support systems that allow for both people and pets to have multiple options of care that best suit their needs,” according to its website.
Szalkiewicz said there are over 200 animals on APA!’s site right now that are available for adoption, and there are more than 1,000 in its foster base.
