ABSTRACT
Once a fundamental part of the labour environment, many domesticated animals including (but not exclusively) dogs and horses are now predominantly leisure companions to humans. This chapter considers the experiences and implications of this historical shift in human: animal relations. Considering humans’ inherent animal nature and that a range of occupations can provide a sense of meaning and purpose for nonhuman animals leads us to question how non-leisure roles may also benefit our nonhuman animal fellow creatures, and raises the question – do animals systematically bred to labour over generations now suffer from a lack of non-leisure?
