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Check out the most recent The Resilient Animal podcast episode
Paws at Work: Boosting Mental Health
In this episode, host Dr. Annie Petersen reviews research showing animal interaction can reduce stress through measurable physiological changes (including lower cortisol and increased oxytocin), provide non-judgmental social support, reduce loneliness, and help some neurodivergent employees with grounding and regulation. It argues these benefits can translate into higher productivity through strategic mental breaks, improved creativity, greater job satisfaction, and lower absenteeism, while strengthening workplace culture, collaboration, morale, and retention; examples include Amazon’s dog-friendly Seattle campus and Google’s therapy-animal partnerships. Peterson also covers implementation challenges and solutions—vaccination and behavior requirements, pet-free zones, training, designated spaces, therapy-animal visits, office-pet or foster programs—plus economic, environmental, inclusivity, and post-pandemic trends shaping the future of pet-friendly work.