School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Roseworthy Campus, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA 5371, Australia.
Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 May 12;20(10):5801. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20105801.
Dogs may provide humans with a range of physical, mental and social benefits. Whilst there is growing scientific evidence of benefits to humans, there has been less focus on the impact to canine health, welfare and ethical considerations for the dogs. The importance of animal welfare is increasingly acknowledged, indicating that the Ottawa Charter should be extended to include the welfare of non-human animals supporting the promotion of human health. Therapy dog programmes are delivered across a variety of settings including hospitals, aged care facilities and mental health services, highlighting the important role they play in human health outcomes. Research has shown that that there are biomarkers for stress in humans and other animals engaged in human-animal interactions. This review aims to assess the impact of human-animal interactions on therapy dogs engaged in providing support to human health. While challenging, it is paramount to ensure that, within the framework of One Welfare, the welfare of therapy dogs is included, as it is a key factor for future sustainability. We identified a range of concerns due to the lack of guidelines and standards to protect the wellbeing of the dogs engaged in these programmes. Extension of the Ottawa Charter to include the welfare of non-human animals with leveraging through a One Welfare approach would promote animal and human health beyond current boundaries.
狗可能会给人类带来身体、精神和社会方面的益处。尽管越来越多的科学证据表明对人类有益，但对犬类健康、福利和道德问题的关注较少。动物福利的重要性日益得到承认，这表明《渥太华宪章》应该扩大到包括支持促进人类健康的非人类动物的福利。治疗犬计划在各种环境中实施，包括医院、老年护理设施和心理健康服务机构，突出了它们在人类健康结果方面的重要作用。研究表明，在人类和其他参与人类与动物互动的动物中存在应激生物标志物。本综述旨在评估人类与动物互动对参与支持人类健康的治疗犬的影响。虽然具有挑战性，但至关重要的是要确保在“一个健康”框架内，包括治疗犬的福利，因为这是未来可持续性的关键因素。由于缺乏保护参与这些计划的狗的福利的准则和标准，我们确定了一系列关注问题。通过“一个健康”方法扩展《渥太华宪章》以纳入非人类动物的福利，将超越当前的界限，促进动物和人类的健康。
