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.
