Animal Welfare and Human Mental Health: The Therapeutic Bond

The relationship between humans and animals provides significant mental health benefits. Understanding and protecting the human-animal bond supports wellbeing on both sides of the relationship.

Key Facts

Interaction with animals reduces cortisol and increases oxytocin — measurable physiological stress reduction
Pet ownership is associated with reduced blood pressure, improved cardiovascular outcomes, and reduced depression in multiple studies
Animal-assisted therapy using dogs, horses, and other species is evidence-based for PTSD, anxiety, and autism spectrum conditions
Equine-assisted therapy has demonstrated benefits for veterans with PTSD in randomised controlled trials
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute compiles research on human health benefits of the human-animal bond
Therapy animals must be carefully screened and trained — the welfare of the animal in therapeutic contexts requires explicit attention
During COVID-19 lockdowns, companion animals provided significant mental health support for isolated individuals
Social isolation and pet loss are interacting welfare concerns — people who lose pets may have reduced social support simultaneously

Welfare Considerations

The human-animal therapeutic relationship is reciprocal — animal welfare and human wellbeing are genuinely interconnected. Animals that provide therapeutic benefit to humans must themselves have welfare needs met — a therapy dog showing signs of stress is not only a welfare concern but a practical problem for the therapeutic programme. Well-designed animal-assisted intervention programmes include explicit welfare protocols for participating animals: rotation schedules, welfare assessment during sessions, and clear criteria for removing animals from programmes if they show distress. Protecting the wellbeing of therapeutic animals protects both the animals and the humans who depend on them.

What You Can Do

Support animal-assisted therapy programmes that have explicit animal welfare protocols alongside human outcomes
Advocate for welfare assessment standards to be required in all animal-assisted intervention certifications
Donate to research on both the human mental health benefits and animal welfare impacts of therapeutic programmes
Recognise and support the mental health value of companion animal relationships in policy contexts
Engage with social prescribing programmes to ensure animal-assisted interventions have welfare safeguards
Support human bereavement services that recognise pet loss as a genuine and significant form of grief