ABSTRACT
The clients you provide services for may have a different opinion from you about animals. Thus, it is important to be sensitive to varying attitudes about animals by clients that might be a result of differences in cultural background or prior experiences. A client may have a family history that considers pets to be outside animals only and may not feel comfortable with an animal indoors. A client may be afraid of large dogs, having only limited exposure to them as aggressive guard dogs or unfortunate victims of organized dog fighting. A client may originate from a country that does not generally view animals as pets but rather as food or as laborers. A client may not have had many or any opportunities to be around certain types of animals, especially farm animals or horses, and therefore might be uncomfortable around them. Or a client may have once had a bad or overly sad experience with a pet and thus may find it difficult to be around a similar type of pet. Thus, to be better prepared for the initial session with a client, it is important for the therapist to include in the client screening process for assisted animal therapy (AAT) an inquiry about the client’s previous exposure to or attitude about animals or pets (see the Client Screening Form for Animal Assisted Therapy provided in Appendix B).
