Standards of Practice in Animal-Assisted Interventions

Foreword

In 1996, the Delta Society (now Pet Partners) first published Standards of Practice with the intended goal of offering a structured foundation for what was, at the time, an emerging field. Today, as we seek to firmly establish the position of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) as a complementary modality for human health and well-being, it’s critical to articulate the minimum standards of participating handlers, animals and programs. We’re proud to provide an updated edition of the publication that reflects the current best thinking. Our goals are very similar to those that were originally stated:

To provide higher quality of service to all clients

To provide a resource for risk management and quality assurance

To provide an educational resource for staff and personnel

To provide other professional organizations evidence of internal structure and consistency

To provide for the health, welfare and safety of all who are involved

These standards of practice are the most comprehensive guidelines for AAI and prescribe a rigorous set of criteria that are designed to ensure the safety of therapy animals, handlers and clients that they interact with. This publication is grounded in the philosophy that animals aren’t tools: they’re sentient beings that are capable of making choices and expressing preferences, and that deserve protection from exploitation.

Animal-assisted interventions are unique in that they can be delivered by volunteers, paraprofessionals and professional practitioners. This publication is intentionally designed to be inclusive of all these audiences. Safety is no less critical in an informal setting such as a children’s library reading program than in a clinical setting. It’s our hope that Standards of Practice can serve