Exploring the Benefits and ROI of Workplace Puppy Therapy
You've seen the photos or watched colleagues come back from a session smiling. But if you're the person who has to justify the expense, "everyone seemed happy" isn't going to cut it.
So let's talk about the evidence.
Puppy therapy isn't a novelty perk. It's a measurable wellbeing intervention with a growing body of independent research behind it. And when you stack it against the very real cost of poor mental health in the UK workplace, the numbers make a compelling case.
The scale of the problem UK employers are facing
According to Deloitte's 2024 mental health research, poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion a year. The largest single contributor is presenteeism, employees who show up to work but can't perform at full capacity due to stress, anxiety or burnout. That alone accounts for £24 billion annually.
The picture gets sharper when you look at your people directly. Research from Mental Health First Aid England found that 79% of employees are currently experiencing moderate-to-high stress levels.
Deloitte's own survey found that 63% of UK employees are showing at least one characteristic of burnout, a sharp rise from 51% just three years ago. And CIPD's 2025 Health and Wellbeing at Work report found that sickness absence has hit a 15-year high, at an average of 9.4 days per employee per year.
The benefits of investing in wellbeing
Here's where the business case becomes hard to ignore.
Deloitte's analysis of workplace mental health interventions found that for every £1 spent on supporting employee mental health, employers get an average of £4.70 back in improved productivity. Early interventions, the kind that prevent issues from escalating, deliver the highest returns, with some programmes generating up to £6.30 per £1 invested.
Wellhub's 2024 Return on Wellbeing Report, which surveyed over 2,000 HR leaders across nine countries, found that 95% of companies measuring the return on investment (ROI) of their wellness programmes see positive returns. 99% of HR leaders in the study said wellness programmes increase employee productivity. 91% reported a reduction in healthcare benefit costs as a direct result.
The question isn't whether a wellbeing strategy pays off. The evidence says it does, consistently.
What the science says about Puppy Therapy
Spending time with animals doesn’t just feel good; it creates real, measurable changes in the body that matter for stressed teams.
A landmark review of 69 peer-reviewed studies published in Frontiers in Psychology found that when people interact with animals, their stress hormone levels drop, their mood lifts and even their heart rate and blood pressure improve.
More recent research also shows that being around animals boosts oxytocin, the hormone linked to bonding and feeling safe. That surge in oxytocin helps take the edge off anxiety, softens stress responses and makes it easier for people to regulate their emotions. Exactly what you want from a wellbeing event in a high‑pressure workplace.
Short, structured time with dogs helps people feel calmer, less stressed and more able to cope with what is on their plate.
What Paws in Work data shows
We've been running puppy therapy events since 2017. Across thousands of sessions, our own data tells a consistent story, one that aligns with the peer-reviewed evidence above.
• 98% of attendees say they feel less stressed after a session
• 99% fully switch off and are present during their time with the puppies
• 93% report a positive increase in office atmosphere
• 87% said the event influenced why they came into the office that day
• 85% say they're more likely to stay at a company that offers this as a benefit
That last statistic carries significant weight. MHFA England's research shows that companies which foster a culture of mental health awareness see a 20% increase in employee retention rates. Replacing a single employee typically costs between 50 and 200% of their annual salary. Puppy therapy isn't just a wellbeing event; it's a retention signal.
How puppy therapy compares to other wellbeing investments
The most common objection at the budget stage isn't "Does it work?"; It's "Is it worth it compared to other things we could spend this on?"
It's a fair question. Here's some useful context.
Traditional wellbeing investments like Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) have an average utilisation rate of just 3 to 5%, according to HCML's 2024 data. Despite significant employer investment, over half of employees believe their employer could be doing more to support their mental health, suggesting a persistent gap between what's offered and what employees actually value.
Puppy therapy consistently drives maximum uptake. Our bespoke booking system regularly sees sessions fill in minutes. Liberty Speciality Markets, a 1,300-person firm operating in one of London's most secure buildings, saw every attendee slot booked within 90 seconds of opening, with 150+ employees joining the waiting list.
An event that every employee wants to attend is not a small thing. Participation is the first prerequisite of any wellbeing ROI, and puppy therapy removes that barrier entirely.
The bottom line
The evidence is clear, and it comes from multiple directions: independent academic research, UK employer data, HR leadership surveys, and our own event outcomes.
Poor mental health is costing UK employers billions. Wellbeing investment reliably delivers positive returns. Animal-assisted interventions produce scientifically measurable reductions in stress. And puppy therapy, specifically, drives the kind of engagement and attendance that other wellbeing initiatives consistently struggle to achieve.
A single puppy therapy day costs a fraction of what one employee's burnout-related absence costs your organisation. Employers lose an average of £120 per day in profit from sickness absences, and those absences are at their highest level in 15 years.
If you're looking for a wellbeing investment that your team will actually use, that's supported by peer-reviewed science, and that makes a clear case to HR and finance, this is it.
References
Deloitte, Mental Health and Employers: The Case for Investment, 2024
Wellhub, Return on Wellbeing Report, 2024
Mental Health First Aid England, Key Workplace Mental Health Statistics, 2024
CIPD, Health and Wellbeing at Work, 2025
HCML, Workplace Wellbeing Utilisation Data, 2024
Sir Charlie Mayfield, Keep Britain Working Review (Final Report), 2025
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