For many people, pets are part of the family. Because of these special bonds, animals are often seen as companions. The human/animal bond has been described and lauded in ancient literature, modern fiction, and research reports in current professional literature. The presence of animals yields many health benefits to humans, whether through pet ownership or through therapy or service programs. Pet owners exercise more and have less anxiety. They have an external focus of attention that provides physical contact, decreases loneliness and depression, and promotes an interactive and interesting lifestyle. In healthcare settings, animals of all types are being used more and more often to provide acutely and chronically ill patients with unconditional love, an opportunity to touch and be touched, and healing benefits. For example, animals have been shown to improve the socialization of psychiatric patients, calm prison inmates, and decrease hyperactivity in emotionally disturbed boys (Parshall, 2003).
Despite the valuable contributions that animals make, there is a growing concern about human-animal interactions and the possibility for disease exchange. While the focus is often on wild animals, many zoonoses can be transmitted via our household pets. Maintaining a healing environment involves the prevention of diseases that can be transmitted by pets and other animals.
Zoonoses (pronounced zo-on-o-seas) are defined as those diseases and infections that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man, with the animals serving as the reservoir where a pathogen lives or persists and multiplies (Bender & Minicucci, 2007). They can impact public health and the social and economic well-being of the world population. Zoonoses can be transmitted from animals to humans through direct contact or through food, water, and the environment (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017c).