Abstract
Ethically speaking, humans should benefit from the human–animal interaction only if the animals themselves benefit as well. As the field of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) places more consideration on the welfare and well-being of the animals involved, questions as to how to best assess welfare and how to improve welfare for the animals are critical to answer. There are challenges to answering these questions, though. The study of welfare can be ambiguous, especially when AAIs are seemingly innocuous to observers. However, there is concern that AAIs may be physically and mentally taxing on animals if precautions are not taken. As research seeks to clarify the effect that AAI has on animal welfare, practitioners need to be aware of what they can do on a daily basis to safeguard the health and well-being of their animal partners. This requires the practitioner to be knowledgeable in how to judge animal welfare, what conditions put animals at risk, and what can be done to minimize risk. This chapter will discuss the considerations for assessment of animal welfare in therapy settings and provide guidance for modifying interventions in hopes of assuring the well-being of the animals involved, thus enhancing the benefits for all parties involved. While the discussion will primarily focus on canine species, these welfare considerations may be applied to all species used in AAIs.
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Ng, Z. (2021). Strategies to Assessing and Enhancing Animal Welfare in Animal-Assisted Interventions. In: Peralta, J.M., Fine, A.H. (eds) The Welfare of Animals in Animal-Assisted Interventions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69587-3_6
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