Animal-Assisted Therapy: Benefits and Welfare Safeguards

Animal-assisted therapy uses animals as therapeutic co-workers but requires rigorous welfare safeguards to ensure that animals are not stressed by frequent public contact and intensive work schedules.

Key Facts

Animal-assisted therapy is used in hospitals, care homes, schools, and therapeutic settings globally
Therapy animals must pass temperament and training assessments but welfare monitoring during sessions varies
Dogs showing subtle stress signals are often missed by handlers focused on human clients
Working hours and contact frequency must be limited to prevent chronic stress accumulation
Some organisations are developing welfare monitoring protocols specifically for therapy animals

Welfare Considerations

Animal-assisted therapy offers genuine psychological benefits to human participants, but the welfare of the animals involved requires active safeguarding. A therapy dog in a hospital ward or care home encounters novel environments, unfamiliar people, and physical contact that even a well-socialised dog may find stressful. Subtle stress signals — yawning, licking lips, looking away — may be missed when the handler's attention is on the human clients. Without proper scheduling of rest, welfare monitoring, and retirement protocols, therapy animals may experience chronic low-level stress that accumulates over their working lives. The welfare of the animal partner must be prioritised alongside the welfare of human beneficiaries.

What You Can Do

Support therapy animal welfare standards that include regular stress monitoring
Advocate for handler training that includes recognising and responding to subtle animal stress signals
Choose programmes that demonstrate clear welfare policies for their animal partners
Support retirement and rehoming protocols for animals leaving therapy work
Raise awareness about the importance of reciprocal care in human-animal therapeutic relationships