2024

Join the movement – where every person deserves animal aware care! Register now, on One Health Day, for the Animal Awareness for the Substance Use Workforce course. Learn about the transformative power of therapy dogs, service animals, emotional support animals, and companion animals in this one-of-a-kind, 5-hour, on- line course offered by the PAWSitive Connections Lab at the University of Saskatchewan. The course has been developed by a team of experts with academic and lived and living experience in the fields of mental health, substance use, and human-animal interaction. It is practical, interactive, and evidence-informed for real-world application. It can help you develop an action plan for your organization to become more animal aware. This course is ideal for substance use and mental health, social service, and allied professionals interested in enhancing their practice with animal aware approaches. It is also suitable for anyone interested in understanding their own relationships with animals. You will receive a continuing education digital badge/certificate from the University of Saskatchewan. The cost is $49 (with subsidies available). Register here!

One Health Day 2023 is being recognized on November 3 by our team with a presentation to student trainees from the Respiratory Training Program in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Colleen Dell and therapy dog Molly will present on and demonstrate zooeyia - the health benefits of pets in humans’ lives. They will highlight their team’s work with therapy dogs for people who do not have access to a pet; ranging from a controlled trail in a hospital emergency department through to visiting at a hospice with patients and their families. They will also share work being undertaken alongside Dr. Erika Penz, the Respiratory Training Program co-lead, on the importance of zooeyia for individuals diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the 3rd leading cause of death worldwide. The outcomes of their exploratory work and a video detailing this is available here. Dr. Dell will also speak to the role of zooeyia in her own work and life and its intersection with the healthcare system.

On November 3, 2022, Dr. Dell's office released an on-line training certificate course for therapy dog handlers. This both highlight the One Health concept of zooeyia - the positive benefits of animals to human health - as well as provides education to handlers to increase their awareness and skills in areas that would support their visits. To learn more or take the course, click here.

In recognition of One Health Day in 2021, Dr. Dell's team completed a mid-project achievement video for their Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Project titled A PAWSitive Support Project for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Health Concerns. Learn more about the project  and the toolkit outcome, consisting of an online certificate course and access to substance use recovery and peer support resources!

One Health "is  an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment". 

In recognition of One Health day in 2020, Dr. Dell's team created a video introducing how we are putting One Health into practice with zooeyia. Zooeyia is the inverse of zoonosis (the transmission of disease from animals to humans) and is an essential component of One Health. It is understood as the positive benefits to human health from interacting with animals, focusing on companion animals. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have turned to their companion animals for comfort and support. It has also been applied to explain the benefits of therapy dogs. 

This video introduces how our team is applying zooeyia to better understand the role of Service Dogs as a health intervention in the lives of Veterans’ diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, and who problematically use substances. 

In recognition of One Health Day in 2019, Dr. Dell's team released a video at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction Issues of Substance conference announcing our newly funded project from Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program ($1.4-million). The project aims to learning how psychiatric service dogs can help veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover from problematic alcohol and drug use.  Learn more here or visit the project website.

 In recognition of One Health Day in 2018, Dr. Dell brought together Service Dog and Therapy Dog Handlers for a Q & A session. 

In recognition of One Health Day in 2017, Dr. Dell's team organized a community discussion on One Health and Animal Assisted Interventions. 

In recognition of One Health Day in 2016, Dr. Dell's office was involved in hosting a workshop and an awareness raising event.