The Penn Compact in Action
Best Friends
Are dogs really man’s best friend? Researchers at Penn are studying exactly how relationships between humans and animals can positively—and negatively—affect the mental health and well-being of both. At the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, which is run through the School of Veterinary Medicine, researchers are encouraging debate on the ethical treatment of animals and applying their findings to benefit animals and humans. Currently, they are learning how distressing events in early development, such as routine veterinary care, can lead to behavioral issues in adult animals, and why dogs trained as guides and service animals have high rates of temperament problems.
The Center also collaborates with Penn’s School of Social Work to provide outreach services for people coping with the loss of a pet and to bring animals into the lives of families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
More of the Penn Compact in Action
The Penn Compact
The Penn Compact embodies Penn's vision for making our University both a global leader in teaching, research, and professional practice, as well as a dynamic agent of social, economic, and civic progress.