Abstract

The purpose of this text is to present a set of arguments showing that the status of dogs working in the field of human scent identification should not be midway between “a living work instrument” and “an actor in work” as it is considered now. Dogs should be clearly recognized not only as actors in work in this field, but also as “active actors”, because the type of work that human scent identification requires is not based on forcing dogs to work, but on their voluntary and autonomous cooperation, which can arise only thanks to a solid and stable bond between the trainer and his dog.