Special Issue "Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship"

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: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Assoc. Prof. Silvana Diverio
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 00126 Perugia, Italy
Interests: behavior and welfare of working animals; computer video analysis; animal physiology in sport exercise; dog olfaction science; human–working animal relationship; animal-assisted intervention issues; veterinary medicine on working animals
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From the earliest days of human history, animals have been employed as workers, helping the survival of the human species in a myriad of ways. Nowadays, around the world, there are still millions of animals working in collaboration with their handlers. The huge diversity of work performed by animals ranges from military; law enforcement and war animals; transport animals in agriculture; search and rescue animals; detection dogs (drugs, explosive, wildlife, etc.,); herding, guarding, and hunting animals; to those involved in animal-assisted therapy or assistance/service animals (such as guide dogs for the blinds).

While the contributions and collaborations of these animals have brought enormous benefits to people's lives, in some circumstance, the role of "working animal" exposes the animal to potential great risks for their welfare. Given the enormous social role played by these animals, it would be desirable to open a scientific debate on the potential benefits and risks associated with working animals, and on the ethical issues related to it. This is important both for animals that work in close contact with humans (such as rescue dogs, and animals involved in assistance/service), because of their deep relationship with their handlers, and for those that are mainly exploited as an animal resource (for example animals from transport and hunting dogs), to which the performative request is not always reciprocated by adequate care and management.

Innovative papers from different research areas, such as the behavior and welfare of working animals, computer video analysis, sport exercise animal physiology, dog olfaction science, human–working animal relationship, animal-assisted intervention issues, and veterinary medicine, are invited to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to bring together the latest advances in the welfare and ethics issues of working with animals. Interdisciplinary studies will be considered, especially those regarding (but not limited to) the following:

  • Search and rescue dogs;
  • Detection dogs;
  • Herding and hunting dogs.
  • Animals involved in assistance/service to humans;
  • Human–working animal relationship;
  • Transport animals;
  • Ethical issues related to working animals.

Asssoc. Prof. Silvana Diverio
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 papers will be 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 monthly 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 1800 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

  • search and rescue dogs
  • detection dogs
  • herding and hunting dogs
  • animals involved in assistance/service to humans
  • human–working animal relationship
  • transport animals
  • ethical issues related to working animals

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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Article
Utilizing Odor-Adsorbed Filter Papers for Detection Canine Training and Off-Site Fire Ant Indications
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082204 - 26 Jul 2021
Viewed by 802
Abstract
The red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) is an exotic aggressive pest that is notorious for its ability to seriously harm humans and animals, cause economic loss to agriculture, and damage ecosystems. This is the first study to validate the capability [...] Read more.
The red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) is an exotic aggressive pest that is notorious for its ability to seriously harm humans and animals, cause economic loss to agriculture, and damage ecosystems. This is the first study to validate the capability of filter paper adsorption as a feasible odor bearer of RIFAs and evaluate its use in detection dog training. Two live RIFA-experienced detection dogs achieved a mean 92% positive indication rate (PIR) on RIFA-scented papers with a relatively low false response rate (0.8%). The similar accuracies in recognizing live RIFAs (96%) and scented papers (92%) suggest that a filter paper is an effective odor reservoir. After training with live RIFA and scented filter papers, both RIFA-experienced and inexperienced detection dogs successfully indicated filter papers that were scented with at least 10 RIFAs for 4 h with a high PIR (>93%) and low false response rate (2%). Detection dogs correctly recognized the filter papers scented by 10 RIFAs for 24 h with a 97.6% PIR. Even for scented samples stored at −20 °C and 4 °C for 13 weeks, the positive indication rates (PIRs) were as high as 90%. These results suggest that filter paper is an effective RIFA odor bearer, and the scent can be maintained at least 13 weeks for dog identification. After RIFA-scented paper training, detection dogs showed high (>95%) PIRs for both RIFA-scented paper and live RIFAs and also successfully performed field studies. Using filter paper as a RIFA odor bearer is an effective and economical method for detection dog training and RIFA identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
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Article
Knowledge and Perception on Animal Welfare in Chilean Undergraduate Students with Emphasis on Dairy Cattle
Animals 2021, 11(7), 1921; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11071921 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 550
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to determine differences in knowledge and perception of animal welfare (with emphasis on dairy cattle) among undergraduate students from two universities with different missions and visions and between students from different faculties. One thousand surveys were obtained [...] Read more.
The objectives of this study were to determine differences in knowledge and perception of animal welfare (with emphasis on dairy cattle) among undergraduate students from two universities with different missions and visions and between students from different faculties. One thousand surveys were obtained from Universidad de Chile (UChile; n = 500) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC; n = 500) students. The students from both universities were from the following faculties: Agronomy, Architecture, Biology, Economic Sciences, Psychology, Law, Philosophy, Basic Education, Civil Engineering and Medicine. The majority (77%) of students from both universities were aware of animal welfare. Most (56%) students understand animal welfare as the ‘mental and physical state of animals’. Regardless of their faculty, around 97% of the total respondents perceived animal welfare as important for production systems. Regarding specific knowledge about cows’ welfare related to milk management and behavior, students from Economic Sciences, Psychology, Law, Philosophy, Basic Education, and Civil Engineering had less (p < 0.001) self-reported knowledge about cows’ basic behavior and specific management practices such as milking and were more negative in their perceptions of dairy production. Overall, results showed that the students’ faculty explained most of the differences among undergraduate students in relation to their perceptions and knowledge about animal welfare. Our data is important, as undergraduate students will make purchasing and power decisions as well as having potential influence on future policies that could modify the animal production industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
Article
Perceptions and Attitudes towards Mules in a Group of Soldiers
Animals 2021, 11(4), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041009 - 03 Apr 2021
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Mules are essential for pack work in mountainous areas, but there is a lack of research on this species. This study intends to assess the perceptions, attitudes, empathy and pain perception of soldiers about mules, to understand the type of human–mule relationship. For [...] Read more.
Mules are essential for pack work in mountainous areas, but there is a lack of research on this species. This study intends to assess the perceptions, attitudes, empathy and pain perception of soldiers about mules, to understand the type of human–mule relationship. For this, a survey was applied with closed-ended questions where the empathy and pain perception tools were included and later analyzed through correlations. Open-ended questions were analyzed through text mining. A total of 73 soldiers were surveyed. They had a wide range of ages and years of experience working with equids. Significant positive correlations were found between human empathy, animal empathy and pain perception. Soldiers show a preference for working with mules over donkeys and horses. Text mining analysis shows three clusters associated with the mules’ nutritional, environmental and health needs. In the same line, relevant relations were found for the word “attention” with “load”, “food”, and “harness”. When asked what mules signify for them, two clusters were found, associated with mules’ working capacity and their role in the army. Relevant relations were found between the terms “mountain”, “support”, and “logistics”, and also between “intelligent” and “noble”. To secure mules’ behavioral and emotional needs, future training strategies should include behavior and welfare concepts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
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Article
How to Fight Puppy Mills: Toughening the Sentences for Animal Abuse in the Post-Communist Region
Animals 2020, 10(6), 1020; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061020 - 11 Jun 2020
Viewed by 2183
Abstract
This study seeks answers to questions regarding the kind of main legislative issues and obstacles there are in providing a legal solution to the problem of illegal puppy mills in the post-communist context, how criminal law experts opine about toughening the sentencing guidelines [...] Read more.
This study seeks answers to questions regarding the kind of main legislative issues and obstacles there are in providing a legal solution to the problem of illegal puppy mills in the post-communist context, how criminal law experts opine about toughening the sentencing guidelines for animal abuse and deficient puppy mills, what kind of arguments have been formulated and how they have shaped the decision making by lawmakers, and how Czech politicians have argued in favour of or against toughening the sentencing guidelines for animal abuse. The Czech Republic was selected as a country of “flourishing” illegal breeding establishments and puppy exports to other European countries—a problem that has long required a solution. The introduction defines the concepts of animal abuse and puppy mills employed in the paper. Subsequently, the paper outlines existing laws as well as the amendments to toughen the sentencing guidelines. I use the example of debates among parliamentarians and legal experts on toughening the Czech Criminal Code and introducing longer prison terms to demonstrate some typical issues of the debates on tougher sentences for animal abuse in the post-communist region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
Article
Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers
Animals 2020, 10(4), 595; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10040595 - 01 Apr 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1552
Abstract
Search and rescue dogs are an important link in the search for missing persons. The aim of the study was to assess exam stress in search and rescue dogs and their handlers. The study included 41 rescue teams taking exams of field and [...] Read more.
Search and rescue dogs are an important link in the search for missing persons. The aim of the study was to assess exam stress in search and rescue dogs and their handlers. The study included 41 rescue teams taking exams of field and rubble specialties. The level of cortisol, which is the main glucocorticosteroid modulating stress reactions in humans and dogs, was analyzed. The biological material used to assess the hormone concentration was saliva collected in a non-invasive way. In total, 164 test samples were collected: two from the dog and two from the handler before and immediately after the exam. Rescue exams were shown to significantly increase salivary cortisol in both dogs and their handlers. Strong interactions between cortisol levels in human–dog teams were also found with a more pronounced effect in female dog–female handler dyads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
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Review

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Review
Cadaver Dogs and the Deathly Hallows—A Survey and Literature Review on Selection and Training Procedure
Animals 2020, 10(7), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071219 - 17 Jul 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1692
Abstract
Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are powerful police assets to locate a corpse. However, the methods used to select and train them are as diverse as the number of countries with such a canine brigade. First, a survey sent to human remains searching [...] Read more.
Human remains detection dogs (HRDDs) are powerful police assets to locate a corpse. However, the methods used to select and train them are as diverse as the number of countries with such a canine brigade. First, a survey sent to human remains searching brigades (Ncountries = 10; NBrigades = 16; NHandlers = 50; Nquestions = 9), to collect their working habits confirmed the lack of optimized selection and training procedures. Second, a literature review was performed in order to outline the strengths and shortcomings of HRDDs training. A comparison between the scientific knowledge and the common practices used by HRDDs brigade was then conducted focusing on HRDDs selection and training procedures. We highlighted that HRDD handlers select their dogs by focusing on behavioral traits while neglecting anatomical features, which have been shown to be important. Most HRDD handlers reported to use a reward-based training, which is in accordance with training literature for dogs. Training aids should be representative of the odor target to allow a dog to reach optimal performances. The survey highlighted the wide diversity of homemade training aids, and the need to optimize their composition. In the present document, key research topics to improve HRDD works are also provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Animals: Welfare, Ethics and Human-Animals Relationship)
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