Abstract Background : While assistance dogs in Denmark (AiDs) can provide support for individuals with mental health conditions, the reciprocal nature of this relationship remains underexplored. Unlike traditional companion animal relationships, AiD-partnerships involve unique stressors including public access work, task performance expectations, and the AiD-recipients’ reliance on the AiD for disability management. These factors may create distinct welfare considerations for both partners. Aim : To explore how AiD-recipients experience and navigate the mutual welfare implications of their AiD-partnership in daily life, including potential tensions between the AiD’s welfare needs and the AiD-recipient’s mental health disability-related needs. Methods : Semi-structured interviews with 16 AiD-recipients in Denmark were conducted and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis within a One Welfare framework. Results : Four themes were identified. “Navigating welfare” describes the reciprocal care between AiDs and AiD-recipients, where AiDs detect AiD-recipients’ distress and AiD-recipients prioritize their AiD’s well-being though this mutual attunement can also burden the AiD. “Navigating public access” captures how AiDs enable AiD-recipients to enter public spaces while encounters with the social environment potentially create stress for both partners. “Navigating the AiD-system” reflects recipients’ experiences of navigating an unstandardized system with variable training quality, unclear procedures, and limited support. “Navigating transitions” addresses critical transitions into and out of partnerships. Conclusions : AiD-recipients actively navigate mutual welfare in their partnerships, demonstrating care for their AiDs while managing their own needs. However, achieving One Welfare is complicated by systemic gaps including lack of standardization, limited recipient preparation in canine welfare, and absent support structures. The findings highlight that vulnerability exists at both ends of the leash and underscore the need for national standards that support the welfare in AiD-partnerships.
Glintborg et al. (Mon,) studied this question.