ABSTRACT
The meanings of care, choice, and volunteering in Coulter’s ‘interactive care work’ open this chapter, and consideration is given to the possibility of a dog’s labour being morally justifiable in terms of human acceptance of canine care work. Compassion and empathy in caring for and about others are found essential alongside the practicalities and routines of care work. Taylor’s question of dependency and interdependency in examining what nonhuman animals might say about being cared for, also asks whether they would have similar-to-human feelings of gratitude alongside those of frustration and repression at the compulsive need to receive care. The notion of virtuous occupation producing morality is discussed in the light of research by Goode and Michalko. Accommodation and a trusting acceptance by each species of the other’s different behaviours are investigated, noting the working dog’s ability to engage freedoms for both species. The alerting dog demonstrates responsibility in embodying the chronic illness and the human companion, but also in acting as a representative of the charity matching the multispecies partners. In turn, human responsibility for canine welfare is perceived to be based in prevention and reward.
