Companion Animals

Animal-Assisted Therapy: Balancing Human and Animal Welfare

Therapy animals provide documented benefits to humans; ensuring welfare of participating animals is essential for ethical programs.

Key Facts

Over 50,000 therapy animals visit facilities in the US annually
Therapy dogs show elevated cortisol after visits without decompression time
Well-managed programs include mandatory rest periods and welfare monitoring
Animals should show clear signals of enjoyment and consent during interactions

Welfare Considerations

Therapy animals can experience stress during visits, particularly with unpredictable handling, loud environments, and insufficient rest between sessions. Well-designed programs monitor animal behavior for stress signals, limit session duration, and ensure animals have genuine choice and control. Animals that show avoidance or stress signals should be removed from programs.

What You Can Do

Choose therapy animal programs that monitor and document animal welfare
Advocate for welfare standards in all animal-assisted therapy programs
Support handler training that includes animal behavioral assessment
Ask programs how they ensure animals are willing participants