Good work for animals

This chapter explores whether there can be ‘good work’ for animals. In other words, it asks whether certain forms of work can not only be harmless, but also promote the well-being of non-human animals. It argues that in some circumstances good work for animals is possible. In so doing, it surveys four of the most common proposed elements of good work for humans—self-realization, pleasure, autonomy, and self-respect—to see if and how they might apply to animals. In so doing, it argues that good work for animals has a three-fold basis: it provides pleasure, including through affording opportunities to use and develop skills; it allows for the exercise of animals’ agency; and it provides a context in which animals can be esteemed as valuable workers and members of the communities in which they labour.