ReviewAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2017
Current Perspectives on Therapy Dog Welfare in Animal-Assisted Interventions.
Review in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Canine-assisted therapy in reducing stress and anxiety levels of university students: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- Animal-assisted therapy for dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part I): Methods and Results.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Benefits of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Patients with Dementia Residing in Aged Care Centers in Spain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Human-Animal Therapeutic Relationships: Communication, Welfare and Interpretative Asymmetry.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Article
- Assessing Cat Welfare: A Literature Review on Behavioural, Physiological and Health Parameters with a Focus on Animal-Assisted Services (AAS).Veterinary sciences · 2026Review
- Guidance for protocol content and reporting of dog-assisted interventions in randomised controlled trials: explanation and elaboration of the SPIRIT 2025 and CONSORT 2025 extensions.BMC medical research methodology · 2026Article
- Assessment of Behavioral Predispositions of Selected Chicken Breeds for Use in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Pilot Study.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Human-animal relationships in older persons: from pet companionship to animal-assisted interventions. A position statement.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- Establishing Behavioural Thresholds for Dogs in Animal-Assisted Services: Expert-Derived Thresholds and Field Study Comparison.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Dogs' Behavioural Responses to Dog-Assisted Interventions: A Field Study.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Behavioral Predictors of Adolescent Anxiety During Therapy Dog Interactions Within an Experimental Setting.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Tactile Preferences in Goats: Implications for Animal-Assisted Interventions.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Navigating Loss in Animal-Assisted Services: Volunteer Experiences and Implications for Programs Following Therapy Dog Death or Retirement.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- An overview of the benefits of animal-assisted interventions in medical and therapeutic contexts for human health: cognitive mechanisms, sensory perception and welfare considerations.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- Agency denied: PADA and the perils of paternalistic dog care.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Companion animals support human wellbeing and health: evolutionary, behavioral and physiological contexts.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Correlated Subjects: Relational Ethics and Veterinary Legal Accountability in Animal-Assisted Interventions.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Research into the effects of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) has primarily addressed human health outcomes. In contrast, only few publications deal with the therapy dog experience of AAIs. This paper provides an overview on potential welfare threats that therapy dogs may encounter and presents the results of a review of available studies on welfare indicators for therapy dogs during AAIs. Previous investigations used physiological and behavioral welfare indicators and dog handler surveys to identify work-related stress. Research outcomes are discussed in the light of strengths and weaknesses of the methods used. Study results suggest that frequency and duration of AAI sessions, novelty of the environment, controllability, age and familiarity of recipients modulate animal welfare indicators. However, this review reveals that currently, clear conclusions on how the well-being of dogs is influenced by the performance in AAIs are lacking due to the heterogeneity of programs, recipient and session characteristics, small dog sample sizes and methodological limitations. This paper further aimed to identify unresolved difficulties in previous research to pave the way for future investigations supporting the applicability of scientific findings in practice.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.