A dogs-at-work program in a veterinary college: promoting workplace wellbeing and resilience

Dogs-at-work (DAW) programs may be able to take advantage of the benefits of human-animal interactions to support the resilience and wellbeing of employees in high stress workplaces, but research in this area is limited. Consequently, employers are often hesitant to implement these programs. To expand our understanding and support implementation of these programs, this study uses the Resilience Portfolio Model to explore how wellbeing and resilience differ between veterinary staff, based on participation in a long-standing dogs-at-work program. An online survey consisting of open-ended questions about participants’ perceptions and experiences with the program, and validated measures of mental health and work-related wellbeing, was distributed to faculty and staff eligible to participate in the DAW program. Results demonstrated that the 23 DAW participants and 65 non-participants were comparable across nearly all wellbeing measures, in alignment with population norms. Qualitative coding revealed four themes for perceptions and experiences with the DAW program and participating dogs: (1) an increase in social interactions, (2) improvements in mental health, (3) opportunities for physical activity, and (4) recommendations for program logistics. In line with the Resilience Portfolio Model, meaning-making, regulatory, interpersonal, and environmental strengths were all represented in the findings. Taken together, results indicated that veterinary staff perceived benefits from interacting with dogs at work and may draw resilience-supporting strengths from these interactions. Results also highlighted practical opportunities for program improvement, including equitable access and long-term program management needs.