History of Animal-Assisted Therapy: From Moral Treatment to Modern Practice

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) began as an intuition — humans feel better around animals—and grew into a structured, evidence-informed practice. Its history traces a path from hospitals that welcomed pets as “moral treatment,” to postwar rehabilitation wards, to today’s credentialed teams working alongside clinicians in medical, mental health, and educational settings.

Before It Had a Name: Early Roots

Long before researchers studied outcomes, cultures around the world noticed the calming presence of animals. In the West, organized care settings began experimenting with animals in the 18th and 19th centuries. The idea was simple: companionship and purposeful routine could restore dignity. At the York Retreat in England (founded 1796), part of the “moral treatment” movement, small animals were kept on the grounds to cultivate gentleness and responsibility among patients. Similar sensibilities surfaced across asylums and convalescent homes in the 19th century, where dogs and birds were welcomed for comfort and routine.

By the late 1800s, nursing pioneers like Florence Nightingale wrote about the emotional benefits of animals for the sick and isolated. Her observation—that a small pet could be “an excellent companion” for patients—captured what many caregivers already knew: animals invited connection when illness or stigma pushed people into loneliness.

Early 20th Century: Companionship Meets Rehabilitation

The 20th century brought larger hospitals, new wars, and evolving rehabilitation medicine. During and after World War II, convalescent programs in North America and Europe informally used companion animals to raise morale among wounded service members. Photos from the era show therapy dogs visiting wards, not as a formal intervention but as a humane addition to care. At the same time, guide dogs for the blind—developed in Germany after WWI and popularized in the United States in the 1920s—demonstrated that animal partnerships could be trained, ethical, and transformative.

The Turning Point: Naming the Practice (1950s–1960s)

Animal-assisted therapy gained an intellectual foothold in mid-century psychology. Child psychiatrist Boris Levinson noticed that withdrawn children opened up when his dog, Jingles, was present during sessions. His 1960s publications argued that a friendly animal could serve as a “social catalyst,” lowering defenses and facilitating rapport. Around the same time, anecdotal accounts of Sigmund Freud’s chow, Jofi, sitting in on sessions—Freud reportedly noted patients relaxed more easily—circulated among clinicians.

These stories did not make AAT a science overnight, but they did something crucial: they named an observable effect and invited systematic study.

Building a Field: Standards, Studies, and Scope (1970s–1990s)

The next decades were about moving from intuition to structure. Hospitals, schools, and long-term care facilities began inviting trained volunteers with screened animals to visit patients under staff oversight. Researchers started to quantify outcomes—changes in anxiety, blood pressure, social engagement, and motivation. Importantly, professional organizations formed to establish safety, animal welfare, and handler training standards.

During this period, the field diversified. “Animal-assisted therapy” described goal-directed interventions led by health or education professionals; “animal-assisted activities” referred to volunteer visits that boosted quality of life without clinical goals. This distinction helped administrators, insurers, and ethics boards understand where animal visits fit in care plans.

Horses, Dolphins, and the Question of Fit

As AAT matured, specific species found their niches. Dogs became the most common partners due to their trainability and adaptability to clinical environments. Horses took a parallel path in physical rehabilitation and mental health: the horse’s movement supports motor outcomes, while groundwork interactions offer rich feedback for emotional regulation and communication. The equine branch developed its own credentialing pathways and safety frameworks.

Other species—cats, rabbits, birds—proved helpful in residential settings where gentle, predictable contact mattered. Dolphins saw a surge of interest in the 1980s–1990s, but ethical, welfare, and methodological concerns led many programs to pivot away from marine mammals toward species whose needs can be responsibly met in therapeutic contexts.

Ethics and Animal Welfare Come to the Fore

The field’s growth brought scrutiny. Could animals consent? How do we prevent burnout and stress in therapy animals? Modern programs address these questions directly: animals are carefully selected for temperament; health and behavior screenings are routine; rest, choice, and humane training are non-negotiable. Handlers learn to read stress signals and to end sessions early if the animal indicates discomfort. Ethical practice recognizes that outcomes for people should never come at the expense of animal well-being.

What “Professional” Looks Like Today

Contemporary AAT is collaborative. Clinicians define clear, measurable goals; certified handlers manage the animal partnership; facilities craft policies that cover infection control, allergies, risk management, and accessibility. Sessions are documented like any other intervention. Research has expanded from small studies to higher-quality trials in targeted areas (e.g., anxiety reduction in clinical settings, motivation in rehabilitation, social engagement in elder care). While not a cure-all, AAT now sits alongside other adjunctive therapies as a credible, scoped option.

Milestones at a Glance

A brief, non-exhaustive timeline helps situate the story:

• 1790s–1800s: Moral treatment movement; animals used informally for companionship in care settings.
• 1920s: Guide dog training programs establish standards for canine-human partnerships.
• 1940s: Therapy animals visit convalescent wards during and after WWII.
• 1960s: Boris Levinson publishes on the therapeutic role of animals; “pet-facilitated therapy” enters discourse.
• 1970s–1990s: Volunteer visitation programs formalize; professional groups and screening protocols emerge; research base grows.
• 2000s–present: Emphasis on ethics, animal welfare, infection control, and measurable outcomes; integration across hospitals, schools, and community programs.

Where the Field Is Heading

Two themes define the current trajectory. First, precision: programs align species, settings, and goals instead of treating AAT as a one-size-fits-all solution. Second, integration: animal-assisted approaches are woven into broader treatment or education plans rather than standing alone. As this continues, expect more rigorous study designs, stronger welfare safeguards, and thoughtful inclusion of animals where they add unique value.

Conclusion

The history of animal-assisted therapy is a story of empathy becoming method. Caregivers noticed that animals opened doors to connection; clinicians and researchers built structures to use that connection responsibly. Today, AAT is neither a fad nor a panacea—it is a carefully bounded practice that, when well-matched and ethically delivered, can make care more human for the person and more humane for the animal.