Canine well-being in Animal Assisted Interventions: two experiences in the light of international standards

Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) require a particular care of the welfare of animals involved. In this work animal welfare international standards in AAI are reviewed, to focus then on management, training and guidance strategies that guarantee the well-being of participating dogs. After identifying in the literature the main factors that affect the dog welfare and well-being in assisted interventions, two cases are analyzed, one in the field of education for responsible care, another in the field of health. These two cases illustrate the variety of arrangements that can be made in order to guarantee dog well-being through a verity of strategies in terms of the profile of guides, dogs, environments, beneficiaries and intervention designs.