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Animals
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Assistance Dogs: Health and Welfare in Animal-Assisted Services
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Assistance Dogs: Health and Welfare in Animal-Assisted Services

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1714

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carlie Driscoll

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal-Assisted Interventions Alliance, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
Interests: animal-assisted services; animal-assisted therapy; assistance dogs; pediatric audiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the mid-18th century, dogs have been trained to assist humans in overcoming their disabilities. Public appreciation for assistance dogs and the vital roles they play in mitigating the effects of human impairments has steadily grown and has recently culminated in a concomitant concern for the animals’ own welfare and wellbeing. An awareness of the potential aspects of assistance dog ownership that may produce poor animal welfare states has led to higher public expectations of the owners’ duty of care and less lenience toward inadequate dog care. This Special Issue invites recent original research, critical reviews, and expert commentaries regarding the health, welfare, and wellbeing of assistance dogs, including Hearing Dogs, Guide Dogs, Mobility Dogs, Medical Alert Dogs, Autism Dogs, and Psychiatric Assistance Dogs. Articles pertaining to behavioral and training concerns are also of interest, as well as ethical considerations of these human–animal interactions. This edition aims to contribute to appropriate service standards and policies that fulfill the obligation to provide assistance dogs with the optimal conditions for thriving.

Dr. Carlie Driscoll
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • assistance dogs
  • autism dogs
  • guide dogs
  • hearing dogs
  • human–animal interactions
  • medical alert dogs
  • mobility dogs
  • psychiatric assistance dog
  • service dogs
  • welfare

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 936 KiB  
Article
Development of the Hearing Dog Evaluation and Reporting Overview (HERO): A Novel Measure for Hearing Dog Welfare
by Charis Koh, Holly Chillingworth, Carlie Driscoll, Jessica Hill and Edward Narayan
Animals 2025, 15(6), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15060785 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 457
Abstract
This paper delves into the development and implications of the Hearing Dog Evaluation and Reporting Overview (HERO) tool, which is a novel initiative built on the Five Domains animal welfare model to comprehensively assess the wellbeing of Hearing Dogs. The HERO’s creation involved [...] Read more.
This paper delves into the development and implications of the Hearing Dog Evaluation and Reporting Overview (HERO) tool, which is a novel initiative built on the Five Domains animal welfare model to comprehensively assess the wellbeing of Hearing Dogs. The HERO’s creation involved two phases. In Phase One, an expert panel was surveyed using an electronic Delphi technique to gather consensus on items for the tool. This phase culminated in 28 items, exhaustively covered the Five Domains, and offered a holistic evaluation of Hearing Dog welfare. Phase One complemented existing assistance animal standards and emphasised the importance of a quality environment and continuous wellbeing monitoring. Phase Two involved 23 Hearing Dog owners, to assess the tool’s usability, particularly its user-friendliness and perceived value. Concerns about handlers’ ability to identify welfare indicators were raised, highlighting the need for additional development of resources and guidance. This preliminary study has shown that the HERO is a promising tool for understanding and promoting Hearing Dog welfare. Future research will look to validate the tool by drawing from expert observations and physiological measures, tailoring survey questions, and creating a user-sharing platform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistance Dogs: Health and Welfare in Animal-Assisted Services)
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16 pages, 385 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with Compassion Fatigue in Assistance Animal Trainers in Australia—A Qualitative Investigation
by James Verrall, Vanessa Rohlf and Tiffani J. Howell
Animals 2025, 15(3), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030337 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 888
Abstract
Assistance animal (AA) trainers could develop compassion satisfaction (CS) but also compassion fatigue (CF), due to potential exposure to suffering through working with people with disabilities. The negative outcomes associated with CF could result in fewer trainers and longer wait times for people [...] Read more.
Assistance animal (AA) trainers could develop compassion satisfaction (CS) but also compassion fatigue (CF), due to potential exposure to suffering through working with people with disabilities. The negative outcomes associated with CF could result in fewer trainers and longer wait times for people in need. Using the Job Demands–Resources Model (JD-R), this study aimed to qualitatively identify the demands and resources of AA trainers and explore signs of CF and CS. Six trainers participated in semi-structured interviews, and five themes were identified. The Demands theme represented challenges trainers experienced, such as concerns about animal welfare and client wellbeing. The Resources theme represented personal characteristics and job aspects that assisted the trainers, like resilience and formal support from the employer. Negative Impacts included signs of CF and represented how participants were negatively affected by their job. Similarly, Positive Impacts included signs of CS and represented how participants were positively affected. Misguided Trainer Expectations represented the expectations trainers had starting the job compared to the reality of the role. The discovery of CF signs provides evidence of a previously unidentified psychosocial hazard for trainers. These findings should be used by training organizations to better support trainers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Assistance Dogs: Health and Welfare in Animal-Assisted Services)
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