# Correlated Subjects: Relational Ethics and Veterinary Legal Accountability in Animal-Assisted Interventions

## TL;DR

This paper proposes a new ethical and legal framework for animals in therapeutic programs, recognizing them as relational beings rather than property.

## Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'correlated subjects' to reframe the legal and ethical status of AAI animals.

## Key findings

- Current laws often treat AAI animals as property, neglecting their relational and institutional context.
- A relational ethical–legal framework is proposed to enhance accountability and justice in AAI settings.
- Practical measures like renewable ethical licenses and inter-institutional monitoring are recommended.

## Abstract

Animals used in assistive, educational, or therapeutic programmes—also referred to as Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs)—play a pivotal role in the advancement of human well-being. However, laws and ethical rules often treat these animals merely as property or tools. The present article puts forward a novel approach to comprehending their status. It employs recent concepts in the fields of ethics and law to argue that AAI animals should be recognised as correlated subjects, defined as living beings whose well-being and performance are contingent on their relationships, institutional contexts, and interactions with humans. The present paper examines the question of how veterinarians, handlers, and organisations share responsibility for the welfare of animals. It further suggests several practical measures, including the introduction of continuous welfare monitoring, time-limited certification, and the establishment of institutional accountability. By linking veterinary ethics, legal responsibility, and the One Welfare approach, the study advances a novel, more compassionate, and just framework for human–animal partnerships in AAI settings.

The ethical and legal governance of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) remains conceptually and normatively fragmented. Although animals engaged in therapeutic, educational, and assistive activities make valuable contributions to human well-being, they continue to be defined by law as property or welfare objects, despite their meaningful yet limited forms of relational participation within structured human-controlled environments. This perspective obscures their context-dependent responsiveness and their institutional embeddedness. The present paper addresses this gap by adopting a normative and interdisciplinary approach grounded in relational legal theory and vulnerability scholarship. The concept is developed by drawing on Jennifer Nedelsky’s notion of relational autonomy and Martha Fineman’s theory of universal vulnerability. This results in the conceptualisation of AAI animals as correlated subjects: beings whose ethical and legal significance derives from the relationships and institutional contexts that shape their participation. The analysis identifies weaknesses in current medico-legal practices that frame veterinary certification and welfare assessment as static technical acts, ignoring their relational and systemic dimensions. The paper puts forward a relational ethical–legal framework for Animal-Assisted Interventions, centred on relational vulnerability, context-sensitive oversight and continuous institutional accountability. A number of practical recommendations are put forward, including the introduction of renewable ethical licences, inter-institutional monitoring and the establishment of multidisciplinary oversight mechanisms. By redefining animals’ normative status through relational ethics, in alignment with the interconnected human, animal, and environmental dimensions emphasized by the One Welfare principles, the study advances a shift from welfare-based protection toward a model of justice grounded in interspecies interdependence and institutional responsiveness.