The Pet Effect
Did you know that 97% of doctors believe there are health benefits to owning a pet?
Learn more about The Pet Effect here.
Featured Partner
Principal Investigator
Rationale
First responders working in law enforcement are faced with repeated exposure to traumatic events that put them at risk for a range of mental consequences. To help mitigate the daily stressors experienced by law enforcement officers, an increasing number of stations have integrated full-time facility dogs, colloquially referred to as “station dogs”, to provide daily comfort and support. This study aims to describe the effects of these facility dogs on job-related outcomes and indicators of mental and behavioral health for law enforcement officers.
Objective
This study will quantify the effects of full-time facility dogs (“station dogs”) on law enforcement officer’s mental health and job-related wellbeing in police stations across the US.
Design
Using a cross-sectional design, this project will recruit 300 law enforcement officers – half of which are employed by a station with a facility dog (facility dog group), and half of which are employed at matched stations without a facility dog (waitlist group).
Expected Results
Findings from this study will provide a critically needed validation of facility dogs as a novel application of the human-animal bond for our nation’s first responders, paving the way for future, longitudinal research on this complementary treatment option.
