Working animals — from police horses to guide dogs — perform valuable roles but cannot consent to their work. An ethical framework for working animal welfare must address this consent gap.
Guide dogs, police horses, search-and-rescue dogs, and agricultural working animals all perform roles selected by humans. Working animals cannot consent to their roles; their welfare depends entirely on the humans who train and work with them. The concept of working animal citizenship has been proposed as a framework for articulating human obligations to working animals. Positive reinforcement training has largely replaced aversive methods in leading working animal programs. Retirement welfare — providing appropriate care after working life — is an ethical obligation that many programs do not adequately plan for.