LA 247 - Law and Ethics of Animal Assisted Interventions

3 Credits
Outline Effective Date: Academic Year 2025/2026
Revised Date: Aug 14, 2025
Date Approved: Aug 14, 2025

Course Description:
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the current laws and ethics of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs) necessary for best practices in AAI. Animal assisted practitioners require a thorough understanding of the laws, ethical standards, and requirements necessary to ensure safe and ethical human-animal therapeutic interactions.

Rationale:
This is a required course for the Animal Assisted Wellness certificate.

This course provides an overview of important professional and ethical concerns of therapeutic practitioners who are partnering with animals to deliver professional helping services. Guidelines for ethical considerations necessary in AAIs to protect and ensure the safety of clients, animals, practitioners, and the general public are presented and illustrated. This course highlights the many ethical layers involved in AAI and covers ethical considerations for our clients/students, the animals, and the practitioner. Ethics for integrating animals into therapeutic, education or wellness settings are covered as part of the Integration of Animals into Therapeutic Settings course. The main goal of this course is to describe the complexity of incorporating animals into professional practices and to increase awareness of the many facets of ethical considerations involved in the process.

Prerequisites: YC 218
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
A student who successfully completes the course will have reliably demonstrated the ability to

State the current laws governing the field of AAI.
Explain the recommended standards and ethical guidelines in the field of AAI.
Identify and support the many intricate ethical considerations in the field of AAI as they pertain to themselves as practitioners.
Examine the ethics to be aware of concerning the people they may serve in AAI.
Discuss and apply the ethics concerning the animals they may partner with in AAI.

Required Resource Materials:
Required Resource Material:

Fine, A. H. (2019). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: foundations and guidelines for animal

assisted interventions (5^th ed.). Academic Press. eBook.

Other Resources Recommended:

Pet Partners. (1996). Standards of practice for animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted

therapy. Delta Society. All parts needed for the course are found in the handouts.

Chandler, C. K. (2012). Animal assisted therapy in counseling. Routledge.

Optional Resource Materials:
None

Conduct of Course:
This course includes online lecture, discussions via discussion boards, videos, and PowerPoint presentations with embedded audio clips, videos, and assignments to deliver the course content. Self-study using referenced texts and articles is recommended. Participation is necessary.

Because this course is on-line, attendance is demonstrated by keeping up with readings and assignments, participation in dialogue on the discussion board and completing course work and assignments to the satisfaction of the instructor.

In cases where illness impedes participation, the student may be requested to submit a medical certificate.

Content of Course:

Current Laws Governing AAI
Standards and Ethical Codes in AAI
Broad Scope of Ethical Issues in AAIs
Specific Ethics for Professionals in AAIs:

Professional and AAI Qualifications
Animal Handling Qualifications
Professional Protections and Evaluations

Specific Ethics to Consider Regarding Our Clients/Students in AAIs:

Our Scope of Practice
Determining if AAI is Appropriate
Informed Consents
Matching Clients and Animals
AAI Plans
Ratios
Discontinuance
Understanding How Clients Can Be Impacted in AAIs.
Informed Consents and Other Necessary Paperwork for Client/Student Safety and Ethical Approaches to AAI

Specific Ethics to Consider Regarding our Animals in AAIs:

Ethical Considerations of Animals in Interventions
Care and Welfare Considerations
Safety and Risk Management
Debriefing
Winter Programs and Animal Welfare
Ethics of Wildlife and Non-domesticated Animal Programs
Environmental Overload/Death/Retirement/Discontinuance

Course Assessments:
The requirement for marks in this course consists of assignments, a midterm exam, a final exam and participation.

Midterm exam	30%
Assignments	30%
Final exam	35%
Participation	5%
Total	100%

Official final grades will be available on My Lakeland. Grades posted in D2L should be considered interim grades.
“Lakeland College is committed to the highest academic standards. Students are expected to be familiar with Lakeland College policies and to abide by these policies. Violations of these policies are considered to be serious and may result in suspension or expulsion from the College.”

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Letter	F	D	D+	C-	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A	A+
Percent Range	0-49	50-52	53-56	57-59	60-64	65-69	70-74	75-79	80-84	85-89	90-94	95-100
Points	0.00	1.00	1.30	1.70	2.00	2.30	2.70	3.00	3.30	3.70	4.00	4.00

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information in this course outline is accurate at the time of publication. Lakeland College reserves the right to change courses if it becomes necessary so that course content remains relevant.

In such cases, the instructor will give students clear and timely notice of changes.

No part of this course outline may be reproduced in any form or resold without written permission from Lakeland College.

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