Dog assisted interventions in a specialized centre and potential concerns for animal welfare

摘要

In the last decade the employment of dogs in ‘Animal Assisted Interventions’ (AAI) has encountered growing popularity, in the absence of a systematic assessment of the potential threats to the welfare of the animals (Serpell et al. 2006). The present study is aimed at the analysis of the conditions in which dogs residing in a single specialized centre are most frequently employed and the potential sources of distress. In this context, the large number of AAI performed and the uniformity in the management of the animals, allows avoiding the potential effects of different living conditions of the dogs.