Herzog, H. 2002. Ethical aspects of relationships between humans and research animals. ILAR Journal 43(1), 27-32.

More often than not, moral dilemmas are the result of good people trying to do the right thing when the right thing is unclear [p. 29]. I have spoken with some animal care staff who have complained about investigators who rarely set foot in their institution's animal colony and who appear to regard research animals as organ repositories. In addition, some researchers show little understanding of the ethical problems faced by technicians [p.30]. There is every reason to believe that individuals who care about their wards on a personal level actually treat the animals better [p. 30]. Inevitably, individuals who work with animals in the context of biomedical and behavioral research will sometimes form bonds with the animals with whom they interact. When an animal is transformed from object to pet, its moral status is changed. Although human-research animal relationships may enhance the well-being of laboratory animals, they involve a moral cost to the human caretakers. Institutions should acknowledge the existence of these bonds and provide support mechanisms to help laboratory personnel deal with the moral challenges of their profession [p. 31].