Animal-assisted therapy uses animals to support human health and wellbeing, but the welfare of the animal participants is an ethical obligation that requires systematic attention.
Animal-assisted therapy creates an ethical obligation to the animal partners whose welfare must be protected as actively as the human participants are served. Therapy animals are often expected to endure situations - unfamiliar people, clinical environments, unpredictable handling by vulnerable populations - that cause measurable stress without the context that makes the work rewarding for the animal. The welfare protection lies in careful selection of individuals who show genuine relaxed engagement in AAI contexts (not all animals should do this work), systematic stress monitoring using validated behavioral indicators, regular breaks and recovery opportunities, and clear protocols for withdrawal from activities when an animal shows distress. AAI that prioritizes human benefit at the expense of animal welfare is ethically incoherent with the values that make animal-assisted interventions meaningful.