American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Therapeutic relationships between humans and non-human animals are frequently assessed according to their contribution to human health, emotional functioning and social well-being. Comparatively less attention has been directed toward how the animals involved experience these interactions and how their welfare should shape therapeutic practice. This interdisciplinary narrative review examines human–animal therapeutic relationships through the conceptual framework of interpretative asymmetry, drawing together perspectives from human–animal studies, ethology, animal welfare research and biological approaches to interspecies communication. Cultural representations are considered only as boundary narratives that help demonstrate potential problems associated with projection, idealization and romanticized interpretations of animal behaviour.

Interpretative asymmetry is proposed as a conceptual condition rather than an empirically quantified measure. It refers to an imbalance in who determines the meaning, purpose and conditions of an interspecies encounter. Human participants and professionals typically establish therapeutic objectives, structure the environment and interpret animal behaviour in relation to ideas such as attachment, cooperation, comfort or emotional support. Non-human animals, however, engage through behavioural, sensory and physiological processes that may reflect a range of states, including positive engagement, familiarity, arousal, stress, behavioural inhibition or attempts to avoid conflict. These possibilities cannot always be distinguished through human observation alone.

The review argues that the assessment of animal-assisted interventions and animal-assisted therapy should extend beyond evidence of benefit to human participants. Equal attention should be given to indicators of animal welfare, including the intensity and frequency of work, opportunities for rest and recovery, the ability to move away from unwanted interaction, the preservation of behavioural agency and the competence of handlers and practitioners. Dogs and horses are considered as important applied examples through which these concerns can be examined, while accounts involving wild animals are used to identify the interpretative limits of human assumptions. Recognizing animals as active participants with welfare interests is fundamental to developing more ethically responsible therapeutic relationships across species

Keywords: Human–Animal Relationships; Non-Human Animals; Animal Welfare; Human–Animal Studies; Interspecies Communication; Interpretative Asymmetry; Animal-Assisted Interventions; Animal-Assisted Therapy; Equine-Assisted Interventions; Animal Agency; Affective Labour; Anthropomorphism.