Green Animal Shelter & Sanctuary (GrASS): article:The health benefits of aquariums

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Dear Friends,

We here at GrASS need your help to help us gather the below mentioned items to help us raise funds for our shelter and other independent pet rescuers.

The items are:

Scrap Paper
Old Newspapers
Old Magazines
Unwanted uncooked/raw Acidic Fruits ( Oranges, pineapples, lime,lemons)
Unwanted uncooked/raw fruits
Unwanted uncooked/raw Vegetables
Brown Sugar
Rice Bran
Red Earth
Glass Jars/Plastic containers with lids
Cardboard boxes (any other cardboard materials)
Aluminium Cans
Expired Food Products

For more ways on how or what items you can donate to help please visit HERE

Saturday, April 25, 2009

article:The health benefits of aquariums

Saturday April 25, 2009

A series of clever studies that compared the effect of empty and filled aquariums discovered that empty tanks have no real impact on people. But watching fish in aquariums significantly reduces high blood pressure, calms hyperactive kids and reduces the perception of pain for dental patients.

In addition, another study discovered that placing aquariums in old folks homes reduces problems associated with Alzheimer's disease. Fish-watching led to significantly fewer temper tantrums. Nurses also reported that patients had a better appetite.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 25 April 2009

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IAHAIO Geneva Declaration

Preamble

Recent research is demonstrating the various benefits of companion animals to people's well-being, personal growth, and quality of life.

In order to enable their presence and ensure the harmonious companionship of animals in our lives, owners, and governments both have duties and responsibilities.

IAHAIO members have adopted five fundamental resolutions at their General Assembly, held in Geneva on 5 September 1995. IAHAIO urges all international bodies concerned and all national governments to consider and activate the following resolutions.

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Resolutions

To acknowledge the universal non-discriminatory right to pet ownership in all places and reasonable circumstances, if the pet if properly cared for and does not contravene the rights of non-pet owners.

To take appropriate steps to ensure that the human environment is planned and designed to take the special needs and characteristics of pets and their owners into account.

To encourage the regulated presence of companion animals in schools and school curricula, and to work to convince teachers and educators of the benefits of this presence through appropriate training programmes.

To ensure regulated companion animals access into hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, and other centres for the care of people of all ages who are in need of such contact.

To officially recognize as valid therapeutic interventions those animals that are specifically trained to help people overcome the limitations of disabilities; to foster the development of programs to produce such animals; and to ensure that education about the range of capabilities of these animals is included in the basic training of the health and social service professions.

IAHAIO Prague Declaration

Preamble

There is much research now available to prove that companion animals can add to the Quality of Life of the humans to whom they may provide practical assistance or therapy.

IAHAIO members believe that those who train animals and deliver the service to others must ensure the Quality of Life of the animals involved. Programmes offering animal-assisted activities or animal-assisted therapy for the benefit of others should be governed by basic standards, regularly monitored, and be staffed by appropriately trained personnel.

IAHAIO members have therefore adopted four fundamental guidelines at their General Assembly held in Prague in September, 1998. IAHAIO urges all persons and organizations involved in animal-assisted activities and/or animal-assisted therapy, and all bodies governing the presence of such programmes in their facilities to consider and abide by the following points.

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Guidelines

Only domestic animals which have been trained using techniques of positive reinforcement, and which have been, and will continue to be, properly housed and cared for, are involved.

Safeguards are in place to prevent adverse effects on the animals involved.

The involvement of assistance and/or therapy animals is potentially beneficial in each case.

Basic standards are in place to ensure safety, risk management, physical and emotional security, health, basic trust and freedom of choice, personal space, appropriate allocation of programme resources, appropriate workload clearly defined roles, confidentiality, communication systems and training provision for all persons involved.

Organizations adhereing to the above four guidelines will be invited to join IAHAIO as Affiliate Members.

IAHAIO Rio Declaration

The IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools

Given the strong evidence that has accumulated in recent years demonstrating the value, to children and juveniles. of social relationships with companion animals it is important that children be taught proper and safe behaviour towards those animals and the correct care, handling and treatment of the various companion animal species.

Realising that companion animals in school curricula encourage the moral, spiritual and personal development of each child, bring social benefits to the school community and enhance opportunities for learning in many different areas of the school curriculum, IAHAIO members have adopted fundamental guidelines on pets in schools at their General Assembly, held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2001.

IAHAIO urges all school authorities and teachers, as well as all persons and organisations involved in pet programmes for schools, to consider and abide by the following guidelines:

Programmes about companion animals should, at some point, allow personal contact with such animals in the classroom setting. Depending on school regulations and facilities, these animals will :
a) be kept, under suitable conditions, on the premises, or
b) be brought to school by the teacher, or
c) come to visit, in the context of a visiting programme, together with their owners, or
d) accompany, as a service dog, a child with special needs.
Any programme involving personal contact between children and companion animals must ensure:
a) that the animals involved are
- safe (specially selected and/or trained),
- healthy (as attested by a veterinarian),
- prepared for the school environment (e.g. socialized to children, adjusted to travel in the case of visiting animals),
- properly housed (either in the classroom or while at home), and
- always under supervision of a knowledgeable adult (either the teacher or the owner);
b) that safety, health and feelings of each child in the class are respected.
Prior to the acquisition of classroom animals or visitation of the class by programme personnel with companion animals that meet the above criteria, both school authorities and parents must be informed and convinced of the value of such encounters.
Precise learning objectives must be defined and should include:
a) enhancement of knowledge and learning motivation in various areas of the school curriculum
b) encouragement of respect and of a sense of responsibility for other life forms
c) consideration of each child's expressive potential and involvement.
The safety and well-being of the animals involved must be guaranteed at all times.

IAHAIO Tokyo Declaration

IAHAIO Tokyo Declaration

Given the scientific and medical evidence proving the beneficial effects to human health and well being arising from interactions with companion animals, given the biological and psychological evidence for the innate affinity of humans to nature, including other living beings and natural settings, the members of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations unanimously approved the following resolution and guidelines for action at the IAHAIO General Assembly held on October 5, 2007 in Tokyo, Japan.

It is a universal, natural and basic human right to benefit from the presence of animals.

Acknowledgement of this right has consequences requiring action in various spheres of legislation and regulation. IAHAIO urges all international bodies and national and local governments:

1. To enact housing regulations which allow the keeping of companion animals if they can be housed properly and cared for adequately, while respecting the interests of people not desiring direct contact with such animals;

2. To promote access of specially selected and trained, healthy, and clean animals to medical care facilities to participate in animal-assisted therapy and/or animal-assisted activities;

3. To recognize persons and animals adequately trained in and prepared for, animal-assisted therapy, animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted education;

4. To allow the presence of companion animals in care/residential centers for people of any age, who would benefit from that presence;

5. To promote the inclusion of companion animals in the school curricula according the “IAHAIO Rio Declaration on Pets in Schools“.

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