UK Dog Owners Praise Office Dogs for Boosting Their Mood and Reducing Stress

THERE ARE plenty of lifestyle benefits to owning a dog, including keeping you active, improving your mental health and providing you with a trusted companion, and it has been revealed that these benefits are now present in the workplace too.

The pandemic saw a huge rise in young professionals becoming dog owners, canine carers and pet parents. New research by fresh dog food brand, Butternut Box, has revealed the overall benefits of working with dogs, with 30% saying it boosts their overall mood.

More than 1 in 4 (26%) say their pet pooch helps to reduce their stress levels, while nearly 1 in 5 (17%) say it encourages them to have a much healthier lifestyle, including getting their steps in with a lunchtime walk.

In addition, 13% of dog owners say working with their furry companion brings greater positivity into the workplace, as it boosts their office morale, while nearly 1 in 10 (8%) say it improves their job satisfaction.

Interestingly, the research found that 67% of dog owners say they would be more likely to accept a new job if they could work from home with their pet pooch, while 61% say they’d be swayed if they could bring them into the office.

A further 51% want to see benefit packages which include options such as paid for doggy day care or dog sitting services, as well as health options which extend to their pet with private veterinary care (43%).

It also appears that puppy parents are keen to see pawternity leave as an office perk, as nearly 1 in 3 would be more likely to accept a job if they were given extra annual leave to bring their dog home.

It is clear pet owners are putting their dogs first when considering employment and in fact,

34% would even accept longer working hours and a further 18% would take a less senior position if it meant they could spend more time with their four-legged friend.

With the pandemic seeing a huge spike in pet owners, it’s no wonder so many Brits are putting their dogs first when it comes to their working lifestyle – and it shows just how important it is that businesses move with the times and offer more flexible ways of working.

Claire Creedon, Head of People at Butternut Box says; “At Butternut, we love having dogs in the office. They remind us why we do what we do as a business. But dogs are also great at connecting people and help in building relationships across teams. Having them in the office creates a more relaxed and positive atmosphere – it’s hard to feel stressed or overwhelmed when there are dogs doing dog things around you.

“We encourage squad members, when bringing their dogs in for the first time, to do so on a quiet day so they can get accustomed to the office. It’s easy to forget sometimes that it can be overwhelming for the dogs and it’s a better experience for everyone when they are comfortable, relaxed and at ease.

“For any business planning to switch up their policies to allow dogs in the office, it’s still important to do this in a safe and secure way. Our policy at Butternut Box stipulates that all dogs must be up to date on vaccinations, flea and worm treatments, and each owner must complete a profile of their pet pooch so the rest of the team knows how to interact with them – this will help support both employees’ and dogs’ enjoyment of being in the office space.”