The Helping Helpers Help (3H) Study: Exploring Sanctuaries and Human-Animal Wellbeing.

• In Event: Animals from a Sociological Perspective Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 1: Interspecies Communities

Abstract

The Helping Helpers Help (3H) Study examines the lived experiences of people engaged in caregiving work at U.S. no-kill animal sanctuaries. Drawing on ongoing ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews, this study explores how human-animal bonds are formed and sustained within sanctuary settings and how these relationships shape meaning-making, wellbeing, and moral responsibility among caregivers. Focusing on volunteers and workers from historically marginalized or vulnerable communities, the research highlights how sanctuary labor intersects with trauma, emotional labor, and community-based forms of care. Preliminary findings suggest that no-kill animal sanctuaries function as sites of mutual refuge for humans and non-human animals, where caregiving involves embodied “dirty work,” ethical negotiation, and dense informal networks of support. By situating sanctuary care within broader sociological discussions of carework, resilience, and relational labor, this study extends Human-Animal-Bond (HAB) scholarship beyond individual-level outcomes and offers insight into how caregiving practices operate under conditions of constraint and vulnerability.

Author

• Amanda Michiko Shigihara, California State University-Sacramento