ABSTRACT
This chapter examines ways in which the specific purpose of animal-assisted education (AAE) informs animal selection criteria, and ensures a good fit for human and animal participants alike. It provides a model for conceptualizing the interface between classroom and student goals with the design of student-animal interactions and the selection of appropriate species and individual animals, and illustrate how it can aid educators in considering potential barriers. The chapter discusses how increased knowledge regarding specific mechanisms in human-animal interaction will further enhance animal selection criteria, ultimately leading to more effective AAE programs. Despite great potential for enhancing education environments, AAE activities can also present potentially stressful experiences for animals. Just as job descriptions are useful in identifying the skills, education, and attitudes necessary for human vocations, so too animal job descriptions can detail the capabilities necessary for goal-specific AAE.
