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Defining Terms Used for Animals Working in Support Roles for People with Support Needs

Tiffani J. Howell Orcid Logo, Leanne Nieforth Orcid Logo, Clare Thomas-Pino, Lauren Samet Orcid Logo, Sunday Agbonika, Francisca Cuevas-Pavincich Orcid Logo, Nina Ekholm Fry, Kristine Hill Orcid Logo, Brinda Jegatheesan, Miki Kakinuma Orcid Logo, Maureen MacNamara, Sanna Mattila-Rautiainen, Andy Perry, Christine Y. Tardif-Williams Orcid Logo, Elizabeth Ann Walsh Orcid Logo, Melissa Winkle Orcid Logo, Mariko Yamamoto, Rachel Yerbury Orcid Logo, Vijay Rawat, Kathy Alm, Ashley Avci, Tanya Bailey Orcid Logo, Hannah Baker, Pree Benton, Catherine Binney, Sara Boyle, Hagit Brandes, Alexa M. Carr Orcid Logo, Wendy Coombe, Kendra Coulter, Audrey Darby, Lowri Davies, Esther Delisle, Marie-Jose Enders-Slegers Orcid Logo, Angela Fournier, Marie Fox, Nancy Gee Orcid Logo, Taryn M. Graham, Anne Hamilton-Bruce Orcid Logo, Tia G. B. Hansen, Lynette Hart, Morag Heirs, Jade Hooper Orcid Logo, Rachel Howe Orcid Logo, Elizabeth Johnson Orcid Logo, Melanie Jones, Christos Karagiannis, Emily Kieson Orcid Logo, Sun-A Kim Orcid Logo, Christine Kivlen, Beth Lanning Orcid Logo, Helen Lewis Orcid Logo, Deborah Linder Orcid Logo, Dac Loc Mai Orcid Logo, Chiara Mariti Orcid Logo, Rebecca Mead Orcid Logo, Gilly Mendes Ferreira Orcid Logo, Debbie Ngai, Samantha O’Keeffe, Grainne O’Connor Orcid Logo, Christine Olsen, Elizabeth Ormerod, Emma R. Power Orcid Logo, Peggy A. Pritchard Orcid Logo, Kerri Rodriguez Orcid Logo, Deborah Rook, Matthew B. Ruby Orcid Logo, Leah Schofield, Tania Signal Orcid Logo, Jill Steel Orcid Logo, Wendy Stone, Melissa Symonds, Diane van Rooy, Tiamat Warda, Monica Wilson, Janette Young Orcid Logo, Pauleen Bennett Orcid Logo

Animals, Volume: 12, Issue: 15, Start page: 1975

Swansea University Author: Helen Lewis Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.3390/ani12151975

Abstract

The nomenclature used to describe animals working in roles supporting people can be confusing. The same term may be used to describe different roles, or two terms may mean the same thing. This confusion is evident among researchers, practitioners, and end users. Because certain animal roles are prov...

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Published in: Animals
ISSN: 2076-2615
Published: MDPI AG 2022
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60735
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Abstract: The nomenclature used to describe animals working in roles supporting people can be confusing. The same term may be used to describe different roles, or two terms may mean the same thing. This confusion is evident among researchers, practitioners, and end users. Because certain animal roles are provided with legal protections and/or government-funding support in some jurisdictions, it is necessary to clearly define the existing terms to avoid confusion. The aim of this paper is to provide operationalized definitions for nine terms, which would be useful in many world regions: “assistance animal”, “companion animal”, “educational/school support animal”, “emotional support animal”, “facility animal”, “service animal”, “skilled companion animal”, “therapy animal”, and “visiting/visitation animal”. At the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) conferences in 2018 and 2020, over 100 delegates participated in workshops to define these terms, many of whom co-authored this paper. Through an iterative process, we have defined the nine terms and explained how they differ from each other. We recommend phasing out two terms (i.e., “skilled companion animal” and “service animal”) due to overlap with other terms that could potentially exacerbate confusion. The implications for several regions of the world are discussed.
Item Description: This paper included contributions from 77 international colleagues
Keywords: companion animal; assistance animal; service animal; facility animal; therapy animal;emotional support animal; educational support animal; visiting animal; human–animal interaction
College: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Funders: This research received no external funding.
Issue: 15
Start Page: 1975