Unspoken Bond wins HABRI media award

HABRI honored the documentary Unspoken Bond with its 2026 Human Animal Bond Innovation Award for Media on Aug. 12 at SuperZoo in Las Vegas. The film is being recognized for helping broaden public understanding of how relationships with animals can support healing, connection and mental health.

Why it matters: - HABRI’s media award spotlights work that can shape public understanding of the human-animal bond beyond the pet industry. - Unspoken Bond adds a storytelling angle to research on how animals can support stress reduction, recovery and connection. - The recognition gives the documentary a larger platform at a time when loneliness, addiction and post-traumatic stress remain major public health concerns.

What happened: - HABRI awarded Unspoken Bond the 2026 Human Animal Bond Innovation Award for Media. - The award was presented Aug. 12 during HABRI’s Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards ceremony at SuperZoo in Las Vegas. - HABRI recognized the film’s role in advancing awareness of the connection between humans and animals. - The documentary was created by advocate Jackie Ducci, directed by Don Hardy and produced by KTF Films. - HABRI President Steve Feldman said the film shows the mental and physical health benefits of the human-animal bond.

The details: - Unspoken Bond is a feature-length documentary. - The film runs 80 minutes. - The documentary follows three people whose lives were changed by relationships with animals. - Shannon Dueck, a Wellington dressage rider, rebuilt her sense of purpose after the loss of her Grand Prix horse. - Nicole Navarro, founder of Pawsitive Beginnings Fox Sanctuary, turned her recovery journey into a sanctuary that now supports other trauma survivors. - Jason Gaver, a combat veteran, found a path back to connection and fatherhood through a trained service dog. - The film was shot in Florida, North Carolina and Colorado. - The documentary combines personal storytelling with emerging research on how animals can reduce stress, combat isolation and support healing. - The full film information is available at Unspoken Bond Film. - Unspoken Bond also has social media presence on Instagram.

Between the lines: - HABRI’s award suggests the organization sees media as a way to move the human-animal bond from a niche topic into broader cultural conversation. - The film’s structure blends emotional narrative with research, which can make the science more accessible to general audiences. - Jackie Ducci’s role as creator, executive producer and nonprofit founder ties the documentary to a broader advocacy effort around human-animal connection. - Don Hardy said the goal was to tell honest, deeply personal stories that could encourage people to think differently about animals’ roles in human lives.

What's next: - Unspoken Bond is positioned to use the award as validation in future outreach, screenings and audience engagement. - HABRI’s broader 2026 honorees included organizations in public service, pet-inclusive culture, pet-inclusive infrastructure and international categories. - Jackie Ducci’s Human-Animal Alliance continues funding programs that frame animals as partners in healing, connection and purpose.

The bottom line: - HABRI’s honor gives Unspoken Bond a credible boost as a documentary built to translate human-animal bond research into a story people can feel and remember.