Pet Partners
Veteran shares her experience with the benefits of the human-animal bond; Veterans can do the same this month as part of the World’s Largest Pet Walk
Ms. Kristi Kay May grew up surrounded by animals on a farm in Port Home, Michigan. But she didn’t know fostering the human-animal bond would become her life’s work until she transitioned from the military in 2014.
She started a chapter of Pet Partners, which promotes the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted interventions, including animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education.
May will be walking her dogs Legend, Grunt, and Tuff during Pet Partners’ signature event, the free World’s Largest Pet Walk on Saturday, September 25th. May has gathered a team to walk on behalf of Pet Partners for the last five years. Any Veteran who wants to experience the physical and mental benefits of time spent with animals can participate in the walk from anywhere on that date.
Ms. May’s love for animals, and the benefits she gets from interacting with them, is tied to her own personal history. After serving in the Army for eight years and spending 16 months on deployment in Iraq, she purchased a farm outside Fort Campbell, Kentucky. There, she turned her lifelong passion for animals into a career, boarding dogs and horses at Legend Acres Dog and Horse Solutions.
Ms. May received her degrees in animal science with veterinary practice manager certification and animal health technology/pre-veterinary medicine. She is also a certified pet therapy handler and she and her dog are a certified pet therapy team.
Ms. May sees the magic of animals every day.
“A horse, a dog—it makes you slow down and be on their time,” says May. “I think that’s where the real benefit comes from.”
Veterans who own or foster dogs experience lower risk of cardiac disease, higher quality of life, and are more physically active, according to research from the University of Maryland. And it’s not just dogs: cats, birds, horses, and even fish have been shown to improve people’s health and ability to socialize. VHA partnered with Pet Partners to increase Veterans’ awareness and access to the benefits of the human-animal bond, through animal-assisted therapies or events like the upcoming Pet Walk.
Ms. May has had a pivotal role in growing that bond in her community. While living in Kentucky, she formed partnerships with the local VFW, two assisted living facilities, schools, the library, and a camp for terminally ill children.
More recently, in her new home in Surprise, Arizona, she continues to support her neighbors. She is exploring partnering with the local health care system to use therapy dogs for its hospice program. She has also worked with fellow Veterans as part of dog training programs. One dog duo reminded her how powerful animals can be to the lives of their owners.
“I worked with a Veteran and his dog, and he said if it wasn’t for his dog and the relationship he built during the training, he wouldn’t have a reason to get out of bed,” she says. “It made him want to share that with others.”
Pet Partners has partnered with VHA since 2019. The VHA National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP) manages the partnership.
Sign up for the World’s Largest Pet Walk here: https://petpartners.org/wlpw2021/.
For more information about becoming a therapy animal team, visit: petpartners.org/volunteer/.
For more information on HAP’s partnerships, please visit va.gov/healthpartnerships.
External Link Disclaimer: This page contains links that will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
Posted September 24, 2021
