Issues Regarding the Welfare of Assistance Dogs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: This article considers the welfare of assistance animals and how this welfare can be maintained and monitored through a number of lenses. The article recognizes that the number of assistance animals in society is increasing as are their various assistance roles. What is meant by welfare and that it goes beyond the mere providing for basic needs is discussed using the Five Domains model of animal welfare. The legal instruments that in some way influence the rights of people with assistance animals including how these instruments do not, in the main, protect people against the barriers they may face, for example, when moving into aged care facilities are considered. The inability of people to keep their assistance animals when moving represents a reduction in the wellbeing of the person and also a poor outcome for the animal. The animal may end up in a shelter looking for a new home. Finally, the need to have processes in place to monitor the welfare of the animal, particularly when assisting people with a mental disability who may struggle to ensure that welfare, and support available for any person with an assistance animal who is struggling financially, is explored. ABSTRACT: While the roles and efficacy of assistance animals have received attention in the literature, there has been less research focused on animal welfare issues regarding assistance animals. This is a pertinent area, given the burgeoning of types of assistance animals, situations in which they are employed, and access issues arising from increased assistance animal engagement. Animal welfare as pertains to assistance animals is discussed in this paper with respect to overall research on animal welfare concerns in a variety of contexts, training and access issues, and legal and regulatory concerns. Relevant examples from global contexts, as well as the specific Australian context, are offered. Conclusions include that while human quality of life is often considered and protected in laws and policies, this is much less true for assistance animals. Additional attention is required to ensure that the quality of life of both persons with disabilities and their assistance animals can be ensured. Support for a person to meet the needs of an assistance animal, as well as considerations for keeping such working dyads together in changed circumstances (e.g., following a move to an assisted living mode of accommodation), are recommended.