Led by experts across public health, human healthcare, veterinary medicine, social services and policy, The Pet Variable seeks to build healthier families and stronger communities by making the human-animal bond part of how we understand and support well-being

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, national public health experts, veterinarians, researchers and advocates launched The Pet Variable, a new coalition working to make the human-animal bond an enduring part of public health and policy. For millions of Americans, caring for a pet is deeply connected to caring for themselves. The Pet Variable will work across health, housing, financial security, and other systems to advance policies and practices that address barriers to keeping people and pets together and protect families’ health, safety, and stability. You can read more about The Pet Variable here: thepetvariable.com.

The coalition launches alongside a new policy proposal put forward by the non-profit AlignCare Health and published in the Journal of One Health Systems, highlighting how barriers to maintaining the human-animal bond can prevent families with pets from accessing healthcare, securing stable housing or protecting their personal safety. When up to 70% of American families include a pet, the paper makes the case for formally recognizing the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health (SDoH) and outlines opportunities for policymakers to incorporate it into future federal, state and local public health frameworks.

“When someone delays their health care because they are worried about what will happen to their pet, struggles to find stable or temporary housing that accommodates their pet, or faces financial strain trying to meet both human and veterinary needs, those aren’t separate challenges. They are interconnected,” said Anna Stout, MA, CAWA, Executive Director of the Pet Variable. “The Pet Variable coalition was created to advance policies and systems that recognize that connection and support the health and stability of the whole family.”

The Pet Variable has nine founding members spanning public health, veterinary medicine, housing, social services, research and policy: CARE (Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity), Annie & Millie’s Place, RedRover, BestyBnB, My Dog is My Home, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, JVR Strategies, and The Pet Vet Connection.

“At BestyBnB, we’ve seen how something as simple as providing temporary care for a pet can make all the difference in helping someone access the support they need,” said Andy Bond, Co-Founder of BestyBnB. “Our work has shown us that solutions are possible when human services and animal care work together, and these connections need to become the norm rather than the exception. We’re proud to be a Founding Member of The Pet Variable and help bring these practical, community-based solutions into broader conversations about public policy and how we care for families.”

The Pet Variable will be inaugurated in person at the 2026 One Health Systems Summit in San Antonio on October 31, where public health, veterinary, housing, social services and policy experts will examine how existing systems affect families with pets. The Summit will feature discussions on gaps in current laws, policies and funding; barriers to integrated human and veterinary care; and models for better coordinating workforces, governance and funding across sectors.

New Research Examines the Human-Animal Bond Across Systems

Released alongside The Pet Variable’s launch, the new policy proposal, “Recognizing the Human-Animal Bond as a Social Determinant of Health,” published in the Journal of One Health Systems (JOHS), examines the growing body of evidence showing how pets can affect human health and well-being, and how barriers involving pets can influence families’ access to health care, housing and safety. The proposal makes the case for formally recognizing the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health and highlights key research including:

• Health care: 61.5% of healthcare providers surveyed reported encountering a patient at least once per month who delayed treatment because of pet-related concerns. Pet-related concerns can also influence where patients seek treatment or cause them to leave care early.
• Housing: While 50% of landlords allow pets, only 9% do so without size or species restrictions. Meanwhile, 27% of respondents in another study said the cost of a pet deposit itself created a barrier.
• Domestic violence: Research has found that 18% to 48% of domestic violence survivors delayed leaving an abusive situation out of concern for their pet, while just 18% of domestic violence shelters accept pets nationally.
• Health and economic benefits: Research cited in the paper estimates that pet ownership generated $11.8 billion in U.S. healthcare cost savings from reduced doctor visits and decreased obesity in 2015 alone.

The Journal of One Health Systems was recently launched as a peer-reviewed, open access journal committed to advancing health equity for families that include pets. The journal is building a new body of research on the institutional and systemic factors that shape the health and well-being of people, animals, and the communities they share. That evidence will serve as a resource for healthcare leaders and policymakers and can inform efforts such as The Pet Variable’s policy goals. Researchers and practitioners across disciplines are invited to submit manuscripts presenting new studies, evidence, and models here.

Local, State and Federal Policy Push

Across the country, state and local policymakers are increasingly taking action to address barriers facing pet families, from expanding pet-inclusive housing and access to veterinary care to helping people remain with their pets when seeking shelter from homelessness or domestic violence. Earlier this year, Colorado enacted legislation recognizing the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health. At the same time, policymakers in states including Massachusetts and Arizona, as well as New York City, have advanced efforts aimed at reducing barriers facing pet families, particularly in housing.

The Pet Variable will build on this momentum by bringing together experts across sectors to identify policy gaps, elevate models that are working and advance greater recognition of the human-animal bond at the agency, local, state and federal levels.

At the federal level, the coalition will advocate for recognition of the human-animal bond as a social determinant of health within Healthy People 2040, while supporting opportunities across healthcare access, housing, healthy aging, behavioral health, survivor safety, homelessness, veterinary access and other areas where the human-animal bond can have meaningful implications for human health and well-being.

“For too long, policies affecting people and their pets have been developed in separate conversations, even though the challenges pet families face are deeply interconnected,” said Jamie Blackburn, Housing Policy Specialist at the MSPCA. “Through our advocacy work in Massachusetts, we’ve seen how even small, local policy changes can make a meaningful difference for people and their animals. The Pet Variable offers an opportunity to build on that progress, bringing new voices and perspectives into the conversation and making the human-animal bond part of how we approach public policy nationwide.”

About The Pet Variable
The Pet Variable is a national coalition working to support healthier families by making the human-animal bond an enduring part of how we think about well-being and shape health policy. Bringing together leaders across public health, healthcare, housing, social services, veterinary medicine, research and other fields, the coalition works to break down policy silos, address pet-related barriers to health, housing and stability, and build greater recognition of the human-animal bond within state and national health policy frameworks. Learn more at thepetvariable.com.

Media Contact: Tiffany Garcia, pets@orchestraco.com

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SOURCE The Pet Variable