The IAABC Ethics Committee is a team of volunteers that adjudicate on ethical matters for the IAABC. Their role is to evaluate complaints about violations of our Professional Code of Ethics, as well as offer original thought and guidance for the future of our industry. In this column, members of the Ethics Committee answer questions submitted by IAABC Foundation Journal readers.
Dear Ethics Committee,
In our shelter we have three dogs who, for various reasons, either haven’t been adopted or have been returned more than once. None of them are showing any declining behavior — no increase in behaviors that we’d usually associate with stress, like vocalizations, barrier frustration, changes is eating or eliminating. They all seem to be doing fine, and a couple of them have bonded with some particular volunteers. My question is, are there ethical concerns with keeping dogs like this in shelters? Is there some way this is harmful for them even though they seem fine?
Dear Reader,
Thank you for this thoughtful question! When thinking about dogs in these situations, it’s important to evaluate each individual animal’s experiences. If the individual dog is doing well and meeting health and behavioral benchmarks that are conducive to living a good life, then there may not be harm or wrongness in keeping dogs for long periods in shelters.One underlying ethical question is whether the dog is missing out on some good or goods that are associated with living in a home, and how we might ethically weigh the absence of those experiences in the dog’s life.
Dogs in shelters do not have access to the various benefits of living in a home, however, those benefits may be provided or simulated, to some degree, in a shelter environment. For example, providing dogs with regular exercise and enrichment, connection with specific human companions, and more, are features of a homed life that dogs can experience in a shelter environment. Whether these experiences are somehow deficient by virtue of their temporary or transient nature is up for debate.
There is a big picture ethical issue here, as well. An argument could be made that sheltering dogs long term (however we define “long term”) is not the best use of limited resources, and that more dogs could be placed in the time that a long-term shelter resident occupies a space. This is an issue of weighing the benefits of possible outcomes to specific individuals against the benefits of possible outcomes to a hypothetical many. These issues are complex and charged, to be sure. Ethical reasoning in these situations requires us to look at many different features that are particular to each situation, and there may be justifiable reasons for supporting different actions in different situations. However, while this “big picture” problem is usually framed as a one vs. many issue, the one and the many are not necessarily in opposition with each other.
It’s also important to consider the human element in our reasoning around these issues, too. While we tend to focus on evaluating outcomes for dogs in these situations, the morale, retention, and well-being of shelter professionals and volunteers ought to be features of ethical concern as well. So, as long as your shelter is continually assessing these dogs’ welfare and working to place them in a home, I’d say their resilience and ability to adapt to the place they’re living now is a benefit for them.
Dear Ethics Committee,
Is it ok to give the treats my client supplies to an obese dog during behavior work, especially if I suspect that a contributing factor to their behavior problem is discomfort due to excess weight?
Dear Reader,
Balancing advocacy for the pet and service of the client can be challenging. It can be made easier by clearly identifying our own role and responsibilities. In a pet-sitting scenario, we may be asked to provide interim care that we would not choose if they were our own pet. Fulfilling this role may mean following instructions as-is but suggesting additional care or a professional consultation.
When looking at the ethics of our participation, consider the larger context. Take the obese dog with a high calorie enrichment protocol as an example, is a short term reduction or increase in calories likely to have a significant impact on this pet’s body condition score? What impact on stress level might we have if we change this pet’s established routine? Is the issue emergent or is there time for a thoughtful discussion once you’ve established a good working relationship?
Ultimately we each have to decide what we are and are not comfortable with. If a client is asking for services that you are not comfortable providing, be honest and offer options. Give the client the opportunity to reflect on how important that particular task is to them and whether to adjust or move on.
“I am not personally comfortable doing that for Fluffy, if you’d like we can talk about alternatives or I can refer you to a colleague/resource/organization listing/etc that might be a better fit.”
We can and should raise quality of care concerns within the scope of our expertise and recommend referral to other professionals as needed. That can feel much easier when we are hired as a behavior consultant, a explicitly advisory role, versus as a sitter. When you have not been asked for an opinion, ask before giving one.
“Can I share some observations I made while caring for Fluffy?”
“I have some concerns regarding Fluffy’s care, can we set some time aside to discuss them?”
Regardless of our role, it is important to avoid making assumptions or value judgements. There may be complicating factors or limitations that are not readily apparent.
Do you have an ethics question for the IAABC Ethics Committee? Share it anonymously using this form, and we’ll consider including it in the next edition of Ask The Ethics Committee in The IAABC Foundation Journal.
Past entries in Ask The Ethics Committee:
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Mike is an emerging animal behaviorist sitting in Minnesota in the US. He carries an MSc in social science research methods (U. of Kentucky) and brings a passion for understanding how the methods we favor shape the knowledge we privilege. Coming from careers in teaching and non-profit program evaluation, he found companion animal behavior by accident helping anxious feline friends in a unique shelter in Ohio. It is a privilege and a joy to combine these and advance the journal in this exciting time of growth.
Alexandra is a certified dog behavior consultant and holds a PhD in neuroscience. She has spent over a decade in academic research and is author of numerous scientific articles on different aspects of brain development, including olfaction, neurogenesis, and memory formation. Her work as a behavior consultant focuses on creating trusting relationships between humans and their dogs through communication, respect, and science-based knowledge. Alexandra is very dedicated to promoting more science within the dog training world. She supports dog guardians and professionals to build a solid understanding of scientific principles and provides guidance on how to apply these to life with dogs. She runs Canine Mindscape in Alicante, Spain.
I’m an Argentinean-Italian dog trainer and CSAT who spent eight amazing years in Brazil learning and working with dogs. Now based in Europe, I volunteer with the IAABC as a translator and, in my free time, help rehomed dogs settle into their new families. I love bridging languages—and hearts—between people and their dogs.
I’m a translator, editor and journalist, as well as canine educator for children and families, specialized in canine body language. I am part of the IAABC Family since 2019, as Language Director at the IAABC and Translators Team Lead at the IAABC Foundation, at the moment. I volunteer at local shelters and promote bite prevention and animal welfare at schools and events all over my country, Uruguay.
I’m a Chilean veterinarian and certified dog trainer, based in Madrid and working at a veterinary clinic. I’ve been volunteering with the IAABC and the IAABC Foundation for over seven years. In my free time, I help dogs and their guardians strengthen their bond, and I love spending quality time with my own dogs.
Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences, with a strong interest in environmental sustainability and the protection of natural ecosystems. Passionate about writing and science communication, she collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on research projects, such as Equine International, and with non-profit initiatives in the environmental and cultural fields. She is writing for different magazines, including IAABC Foundation. Her major goal is to improve horse’s welfare through behaviour research and empirical practice.
Adrienne Hovey is the copy editor for the IAABC Foundation journal and the owner of 
I believe that knowledge from a wide range of disciplines fosters a more empathetic, curious, and engaging world. I am passionate about social, environmental, and minority rights issues (both human and non-human), and this has invariably led me down the road of multi-species anthropology. Perpetually curious about the world we live in, I hope to contribute towards making the world a kinder place for all of us earthlings to live on!
Beckie Wheldon is based in England, UK, and has been supporting the IAABC Foundation Journal team as a volunteer journal content editor since early 2025. She has a BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare, and has recently completed a MSc Clinical Animal Behaviour. With a passion for both practical and theory, Beckie is proud to be a part of the journal submission journey and support the process of applied animal behaviour information and research getting from our writers to the readers. As her full-time career, Beckie is currently part of the UK veterinary charity, PDSA, as a Learning and Development Business Partner for Veterinary, where she supports the professional development of people in their Veterinary Hospitals. Her last position was with the rescue charity, Dogs Trust, as a Canine Behavioural Welfare Manager, where she worked on embedding evidence-based behavioural welfare best practices throughout policy and practices, with both internal and external professional stakeholders, such as the police and military. With a varied background in kennels, caregiver education, and charity dog training classes, Beckie is also an accredited Animal Training Instructor (APDT UK) and an Associate Clinical Animal Behaviourist (APBC).
Erin Jones, PhD, IAABC-ADT, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CANZ-ATI, CANZ-ABC, is the Journal Director of the IAABC Foundation Journal. She holds a PhD in Human–Animal Studies, an MSc in Anthrozoology, a PG Dip in Animal Welfare, and a BSc (Hons) in Anthropology and Psychology. An international presenter, editor, writer and mentor, Erin’s writing bridges research and practice with a focus on the intersection of philosophy, ethics and dog-centered behaviour practice. She is the author of Constructing Canine Consent and co-editor of Topics in Non/Human Coexistence and numerous academic and trade journal publications.