Why Should the Welfare of Therapy Animals Involved in Animal Assisted Interventions Matter to Child Healthcare Researchers and Professionals?

While Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) have been gaining attention from child health researchers and practitioners over the past three decades, the welfare of the therapy animal has not been so clearly articulated in research reports published. The International Association of Human-Animal Interactions Organizations (IAHAIO, 2018, p. 5) define AAI as a “. . . a goal oriented and structured intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals in health, education and human services . . ..” But what of the therapy animal? We must not lose sight of their needs and benefits to the human-animal relationship, or we risk overwork, stress, and even commercialisation of therapy animal services (Serpell et al., 2020). Why should child healthcare researchers and professionals care? It is important that the benefits to humans do not outweigh the welfare of the animal but should be considered in terms of the advantages and disadvantages for both (Glenk, 2017). This commentary will explore the human-animal relationship from a sociological perspective and outline the origins of AAI as well as discussing how the future may unfold. The rising interest of Human Animal Studies (HAS) within academia is linked to the animal protection movement, debate, and interest in animals as a subject worthy of philosophical and ethical inquiry (DeMello, 2012). The moral considerations of animal welfare were highlighted by two humanistic philosophers, Singer (1975) – Animal Liberation, and Regan (1983) – The Case for Animal Rights. They raised concerns around factory farming, especially in relation to excessive usage of crates to house animals, such as pigs, indoors. The intense confinement practices in agriculture, in the 1970s, raised public awareness on animal welfare in the 1980s and led to further exploration in this area through the study of human-animal relationships (Shapiro, 2020). To understand how our relationship with animals developed it is necessary to look at the Human Animal Relationships (HAR) in the sixteenth century when humans and animals lived side-by-side in the time of hunter gatherers. Thomas (1984) discussed the shared vulnerabilities of humans and animals as they shared space to shelter and were open to the same infection risks. These confined spaces meant that humans and animals were quite intimate and more aware of each other and their collective needs for shelter, warmth, and rest. Some philosophers commented upon animal and human relationships as symbiotic, but Clutton-Brock (2012) disagrees since she stated only humans seemed to benefit from the relationship.