Center for Human-Animal Interaction

What Center for Human-Animal Interaction does

The Center for Human-Animal Interaction (CHAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research center established in June 2001 within Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. The center's core offering is the Dogs on Call therapy dog visitation program, founded in early 2001 as one of the earliest hospital-based animal-assisted intervention programs in the United States; Dogs on Call deploys volunteer handler-and-dog teams across VCU Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Richmond, multiple outpatient campuses, and VCU campus events such as Paws on the Plaza and Paws for Stress. All Dogs on Call dogs must be registered with Pet Partners or Alliance of Therapy Dogs and pass additional in-person medical-setting evaluations, and visits are provided free of charge to patients, families, and staff.

CHAI supplements clinical service delivery with an interdisciplinary research program covering randomized controlled trials on therapy dog interventions targeting loneliness, depression, anxiety, and pediatric inflammatory biomarkers, alongside educational offerings that include a fourth-year medical student elective (MEDI-43056) and graduate research placements. The research output includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, multiple edited books, and recurring expert commentary in outlets such as the New York Times, NPR, BBC, Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic.

The center is funded through research grants and corporate sponsorships — notably from Waltham Petcare Science Institute, Mars Petcare, the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), and Nestle Purina — together with individual donations, charitable supporters including Petsmart Charities and the VCU Medical Center Auxiliary, and the annual Dogs on Call calendar fundraiser. Fiduciary oversight is provided through the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, and the five-person core team is led by Director Nancy R. Gee, who holds the Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction, with founding director Sandra B. Barker serving as Professor Emeritus and Senior Advisor.

Name

Center for Human-Animal Interaction

Legal name

Center for Human-Animal Interaction - Virginia Commonwealth University

Website

https://chai.vcu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Human-Animal Interaction (CHAI) is a 501(c)(3) research center within Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Medicine that operates the Dogs on Call hospital therapy dog visitation program and conducts research on human-animal interaction for VCU Health patients, staff, and medical trainees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal-Assisted Therapy Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Medicine & Training-Integrated Veterinary Services (HLAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Animal-assisted therapy
• Therapy dog programs
• Human-animal interaction research
• Hospital pet visitation
• Clinical animal interventions

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) organization through the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, CHAI relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, organizations, and sponsors. Donations can be made in honor of pets, Dogs on Call dogs, people, or pro-animal organizations and can be designated for research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center for Human-Animal Interaction (CHAI) at Virginia Commonwealth University operates the Dogs on Call therapy dog visitation program, which delivers complimentary animal-assisted interventions to VCU Health patients, families, staff, and students across multiple hospital campuses. Beyond the visitation program, CHAI conducts interdisciplinary research on human-animal interaction (including randomized controlled trials), offers educational rotations and independent study opportunities for medical and graduate students, and facilitates personal pet visitations for hospitalized patients.

Product overview

The Center for Human-Animal Interaction is a research center within VCU School of Medicine offering a portfolio of human-animal interaction programs and services. The core offering is the Dogs on Call therapy dog visitation program, which provides complementary animal-assisted therapy to patients, staff, visitors, and students across VCU Health facilities. Supporting services include pet visitation arrangements for hospitalized patients to visit with their own pets, educational programs for medical and graduate students, expert interviews and presentations, and the Close at Heart Fund memorial/donation program. The center also conducts extensive research on human-animal interaction benefits, including randomized controlled trials on therapy dog interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dogs on Call Therapy Dog Program
• Pet Visitation in Hospital

Quantifiable outcome

• Therapy dog visits reduce loneliness among people hospitalized for mental illness
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supportive.

• Pet PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest therapy animal registering organization in the world. All Dogs on Call therapy dogs must be registered with Pet Partners or Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Dr. Gee chairs the Human Animal Bond Advisory Board of Pet Partners.
• Alliance of Therapy DogscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTherapy dog registration organization accepted by Dogs on Call program alongside Pet Partners registration.
• Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring supporter and partner providing therapy dog visits to pediatric patients and their families.
• VCU HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent healthcare system partner providing facilities and operational support for Dogs on Call therapy dog program.
• VCU School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the Center for Human-Animal Interaction, providing academic oversight and infrastructure.
• VCU Department of PsychiatrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic department housing the Center for Human-Animal Interaction within its organizational structure.
• VCU Medical Center AuxiliarysupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring supporter providing funding and resources for therapy dog program operations.
• MCV FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStewards the Center's 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and manages charitable donations.
• Medical College of Virginia FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides fiduciary oversight and 501(c)(3) status for the Center's charitable operations.
• International Society for AnthrozoologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization of researchers devoted to the study of human-animal interaction. Dr. Nancy Gee serves as President.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mayo Clinic Animal-Assisted Therapy Program: Large academic medical center with an established animal-assisted therapy program serving patients and staff. Comparable to CHAI in delivering therapy dog interventions in a hospital setting, but embedded within a much broader clinical enterprise.
• American Humane: Large national animal welfare organization that operates animal-assisted therapy programs (e.g., Canines and Childhood Cancer). Comparable to CHAI in promoting therapy dog work in hospitals but with a much broader portfolio spanning welfare, rescue, and advocacy.

Direct peers

• University of Denver Institute for Human-Animal Connection: University institute conducting research, education, and service on animal-assisted interventions. Issues the Specialist Certificate in Canine-Assisted Interventions held by CHAI's Lisa Townsend and operates as a peer academic center.
• Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI): Nonprofit research sponsor and aggregator of human-animal interaction science. HABRI funds CHAI's pilot research on therapy dog interventions for loneliness in adults with mental illness and operates in the same evidence-building space for the human-animal bond.
• Alliance of Therapy Dogs: National therapy dog registration organization that, alongside Pet Partners, certifies Dogs on Call handler-dog teams. Comparable to CHAI in delivering registered therapy dog visits to hospitals, schools, and community settings.
• Pet Partners: Largest therapy animal registering organization in the world and a direct operating partner of CHAI (Dr. Gee chairs its Human Animal Bond Advisory Board). Pet Partners shares CHAI's focus on therapy animal teams in healthcare settings and is the primary certification body for Dogs on Call volunteers.
• University of Pennsylvania Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society: University-based research center studying human-animal relationships across health, welfare, and society. Direct academic peer to CHAI in producing interdisciplinary evidence on animal-assisted interventions.
• Colorado State University Center for Animal-Assisted Interventions: University-affiliated center conducting research and training in animal-assisted interventions. Direct peer in terms of mission, academic affiliation, and focus on evidence-based therapy animal programs.
• Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy: Academic research center within Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine studying human-animal relationships and animal-assisted interventions. Directly comparable as a university-based research center advancing the same field of human-animal interaction evidence.

Emerging players

• PetSmart Charities: Major pet-focused charitable funder that supports CHAI's mission. Operates adjacent programs that fund therapy animal and pet welfare initiatives, making it a comparable funder/stakeholder in the human-animal bond ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DogsOnCall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centerforhumananimalinteraction
• Instagraminstagram.com/dogsoncall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Human-Animal Interaction