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Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and...
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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: closed (30 December 2025) | Viewed by 10376

Editor

Dr. Ana Junça-Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Resources and Organizational Behavior, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 326 KB  
Article
When Care Faces Violence: Anticipatory Grief, Chronic Vigilance, and Ambiguous Loss Among Street Dog Care-Givers in Istanbul
by Mine Yıldırım
Animals 2026, 16(4), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16040559 - 11 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 961
Abstract
This article examines how Turkey’s 2024 amendment to the Animal Protection Law reshapes volunteer caregiving for free-roaming dogs in Istanbul by reconfiguring the practical conditions under which care is sought, coordinated, and sustained. Drawing on 43 in-depth interviews and five months of fieldwork [...] Read more.
This article examines how Turkey’s 2024 amendment to the Animal Protection Law reshapes volunteer caregiving for free-roaming dogs in Istanbul by reconfiguring the practical conditions under which care is sought, coordinated, and sustained. Drawing on 43 in-depth interviews and five months of fieldwork (1 July–30 November 2025), this study combines constructivist grounded theory with reflexive thematic analysis to trace how legal change is encountered through everyday governance interfaces and how these encounters reorganize caregivers’ routines, capacities, and moral worlds. The analysis yields four interlocking findings. First, caregivers describe a temporality of “living in pre-loss,” in which anticipated removal, disappearance, and uncertain outcomes generate chronic vigilance, anticipatory grief, and ambiguous loss without closure. Second, caregiving is increasingly recalibrated as risk management: commitments persist, but intervention narrows through heightened exposure to complaints, reputational scrutiny, and fears that help-seeking may backfire. Third, institutional pathways—hotlines, shelter intake, and municipal responses—are experienced as discretionary and opaque, producing a fluctuating threshold between assistance and harm that conditions whether caregivers engage official systems at all. Fourth, this study identifies a recurring veterinary bottleneck at the street–clinic–recovery handover, where limited short-term holding capacity stalls treatment trajectories and displaces recovery labor into precarious domestic and informal spaces. Together, these findings argue that caregiver well-being is not ancillary to animal welfare governance but constitutive of it. It shapes the continuity of monitoring, the timeliness of intervention, and the everyday mediation through which coexistence is maintained under intensified legal and political pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and Workplace Contexts)
23 pages, 502 KB  
Article
Natural Savanna Systems Within the “One Health and One Welfare” Approach: Part 2—Sociodemographic and Institution Factors Impacting Relationships Between Farmers and Livestock
by Marlyn H. Romero, Sergio A. Gallego-Polania and Jorge A. Sanchez
Animals 2025, 15(14), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15142139 - 19 Jul 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1604
Abstract
The relationships between farmers and livestock are multifaceted. The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic, biogeographic, and institutional factors that influence the relationships between humans and animals in the natural savanna. Visits were made to 65 farms, followed by interviews [...] Read more.
The relationships between farmers and livestock are multifaceted. The aim of this study was to describe the sociodemographic, biogeographic, and institutional factors that influence the relationships between humans and animals in the natural savanna. Visits were made to 65 farms, followed by interviews (n = 13) and three focus group interviews (n = 24) directed at farmers and institutional representatives. The results were triangulated to extract the key findings. The following findings were obtained: (a) cultural gender transitions and the lack of generational succession have transformed livestock farming; (b) the relationships between farmers and livestock have favored the implementation of new productive practices and innovations, as well as improvements in animal welfare practices; (c) conditioning factors affecting these relationships include gender discriminatory norms, low profitability and credit access, poor sanitation, animal handling infrastructure, security, and resistance to change; and (d) improvement opportunities include the inclusion of young people and women in livestock farming, education for work practices, credit facilitation, access to technologies, governance, and improvement in the cattle logistics chain. The results are useful for enhancing the relationships between farmers and livestock, guiding training activities, and responsible governance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and Workplace Contexts)
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Review

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16 pages, 395 KB  
Review
Haptic Signals as a Communication Tool Between Handlers and Dogs: Review of a New Field
by Hillary Jean-Joseph and Dalila Bovet
Animals 2026, 16(2), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16020323 - 21 Jan 2026
Viewed by 2116
Abstract
Developing new haptic communication tools to enhance communication between dogs and their handlers during field operations has garnered interest in recent years. It is a promising field that could ameliorate dog–handler interactions in the field while addressing practical challenges, such as the need [...] Read more.
Developing new haptic communication tools to enhance communication between dogs and their handlers during field operations has garnered interest in recent years. It is a promising field that could ameliorate dog–handler interactions in the field while addressing practical challenges, such as the need for discrete communication during operations. When extended to the public, such technology could improve communication with impaired dogs. With this review, we aim to (1) give an overview of dogs’ understanding and discrimination of haptic signals, (2) highlight the need to investigate the possible impact of such tools on dogs’ welfare, as well as (3) point out current caveats and future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and Workplace Contexts)
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19 pages, 582 KB  
Review
Animal–Visitor Interactions in Zoos and Aquariums: A Systematic Review
by Ga-Yi Lin, Keith Chi Hui Ng and Eduardo J. Fernandez
Animals 2025, 15(13), 1924; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131924 - 29 Jun 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4793
Abstract
There is increasing recognition of the importance of human–animal interaction (HAI) research in the assessment of animal welfare. This is partly reflected by the appearance of increasing animal–visitor interaction (AVI) publications in zoos. Early AVI publications primarily focused on primates and the impact [...] Read more.
There is increasing recognition of the importance of human–animal interaction (HAI) research in the assessment of animal welfare. This is partly reflected by the appearance of increasing animal–visitor interaction (AVI) publications in zoos. Early AVI publications primarily focused on primates and the impact of visitors on animals (visitor effects), with most identifying negative welfare impacts. This review aims to identify trends and changes in the key factors of AVIs (e.g., types of interactions measured; taxa studied; welfare impact). Covidence online software and PRISMA were used to screen papers and extract data. A total of 157 papers comprising 314 studies were included. AVI publications have increased in the last two decades, with a large increase in publications since 2020. Most publications have focused on visitor effects, as opposed to the impact of animals on visitors (visitor experiences). Earlier visitor effect studies mostly focused on primates, while more recent studies have primarily focused on non-primate species. Excluding studies categorized as neutral, there were more visitor effect studies with measures focused on negative than positive welfare impacts. However, the last decade and a half has seen a substantial increase in visitor effect studies measuring positive welfare impacts. These results are discussed in reference to growing changes in the types of studies, species, and outcomes measured in AVIs. In addition, we consider the future of AVI research, including a growing need for and consideration of standardized welfare assessments, the increased use of experimental control, and AVIs that equally promote visitor education and positive animal welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond the Home: Exploring Human–Animal Relationships in Veterinary, Agricultural, and Workplace Contexts)
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