Companion Animal Welfare: A Focus on Ethics and Laws

Dear Colleagues,

Companion animals play an essential role in human society, raising complex questions about welfare standards, ethical obligations, and legal responsibilities. As global awareness of animal rights continues to grow, there is an urgent need to examine how ethical frameworks and legal systems address the well-being of companion animals across diverse cultural and regulatory contexts.

This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection between ethics and law in companion animal welfare, highlighting current challenges, innovative approaches, and future directions for research and policy development. We welcome both theoretical and empirical contributions that critically analyze legal frameworks, ethical debates, and their practical implications for improving companion animal welfare worldwide. We invite contributions addressing current challenges, comparative legal perspectives, policy development, enforcement mechanisms, and the ethical dilemmas that arise in veterinary practice and animal management. By fostering interdisciplinary dialog between law, ethics, veterinary science, and animal welfare studies, this Special Issue seeks to advance knowledge and inform both scientific and societal approaches to ensuring the well-being of companion animals.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: legal frameworks and enforcement; ethical considerations in ownership, breeding, and euthanasia; regulation of trade, adoption, and breeding practices, liability and legal responsibility for neglect and abuse; technology and innovation for animal welfare; and companion animals in therapy, service roles, and public spaces.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Michela Pugliese
Prof. Dr. Annamaria Passantino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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