Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and Workplace Contexts
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 175
Special Issue Editor
Interests: human-animal interactions; pets at work; pet-friendly practices; well-being
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Human–animal relationships extend far beyond the family home, influencing diverse contexts such as veterinary practice, agriculture, workplace settings and therapeutic environments. While much research has focused on companion animals within household settings, there is a growing need to explore how different stakeholders—pet owners, veterinarians, farmers, zookeepers, shelter workers and other professionals—experience and navigate human–animal interactions. This Special Issue aims to advance interdisciplinary knowledge on these relationships by addressing their psychological, social, ethical and organizational implications.
We invite empirical and theoretical contributions from various disciplines, including psychology, organizational behavior, sociology, animal studies, veterinary sciences and agricultural studies. Submissions may employ qualitative, quantitative or mixed-method approaches.
We welcome papers that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- The role of veterinarians and veterinary staff in mediating human–animal relationships.
- Psychological and emotional dimensions of human–animal interactions in professional settings.
- Ethical and well-being considerations in animal husbandry and agriculture.
- The impact of pet-friendly workplace policies on employee well-being and productivity.
- Human–animal interactions in animal-assisted interventions beyond home settings.
- Work–pet family conflict: how work responsibilities impact pet care.
- Social Exchange Theory and Work–Family Enrichment Theory applied to human–animal relationships.
- The influence of cultural and societal norms on professional and institutional human–animal relationships.
Dr. Ana Junça-Silva
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
- human–animal interactions
- human–animal bonds
- pets
- companion animals
- pet-owners
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