Our Ethical and Moral Responsibility

Animal-Assisted Intervention in Speech-Language Pathology: Practical, Clinical, and Theoretical Considerations

“…Regarding “people skills,” of principal importance is that the animal actively enjoys and derives benefit from, rather than merely tolerating, human interaction. 12 13 AAT is not “therapy” for the animal, and animals should not be put into situations that they find in any way aversive. Therapy animals must also demonstrate reliable and calm responses to the sometimes hectic environments with which they will interact.…”

“…First and foremost, the role of the handler is to be the advocate for the animal under all circumstances. 11 13 The handler must be well-versed in the communication style of the particular animal with whom they partner and responsive when the animal demonstrates fatigue or discomfort with a situation. For clinicians who simultaneously act as handlers during therapy sessions, this sets up dual, and possibly competing, priorities since it is also the clinician's responsibility to maintain the integrity of the therapy session and their duty to their client(s).…”

Participation in a Prison-Based Training Programme Is Beneficial for Rescue Dogs

“…For DTPs working with rescue dogs, the primary aim is to improve the dogs’ behaviour and subsequently the chances of being successfully rehomed [ 23 , 25 ]. However, there has been surprisingly limited evaluation of the welfare implications and outcomes for the dogs involved in DTPs [ 24 ] or within AAIs more broadly [ 20 , 28 ].…”

“…When engaging animals in any AAI there is an ethical responsibility to optimise welfare provisions [ 28 , 29 ]. From One Health and One Welfare perspectives, AAIs should both improve health and wellbeing for humans and provide a positive experience for the animals involved [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Reviews of canine welfare within AAIs highlight the limited evidence available and inconsistent findings, in terms of detecting changes in behavioural, physiological and subjective measures, which are likely to reflect both the heterogeneity of AAIs and variability in the individual dog’s responses in this context [ 20 , 28 , 34 ]. Overall, participation in AAIs is likely to be stimulating for many dogs and should not be overly stressful, given a careful selection of dog-handler dyads and careful monitoring of an individual dog’s responses [ 28 , 33 ]. Although DTPs specifically aim to benefit rescue dogs, there is a lack of evidence regarding their efficacy and potential welfare implications [ 24 ].…”