Evidence suggests workplace pets can positively affect stress and social interaction, but they can also have negative impacts if poorly managed.(Pexels: Samson Katt)
Dogs are increasingly appearing in Australian workplaces. From take your dog to work days to permanent pet-friendly offices, the trend is often framed as an easy win for staff morale.
Evidencesuggestshaving dogs at work can reduce stress and improve social connection. But only if some important risks are managed properly, such as allergies, phobias, hygiene concerns and general safety.
There's another important distinction, reflected in the law: while pets are optional,assistance dogsare usually not.
So, how can employers design dog-friendly workplaces if they want to, and what does the law say about animals at work?
Barking up the right tree
There is strong evidence to suggest dogs benefit their owners' physical health in general. Large studies have linked dog ownership to increased physical activity, reduced cardiovascular risk and lower all-cause mortality.
Amajor meta-analysisof more than 3.8 million people found dog owners had a 24 per cent lower risk of early death from any cause and a 31 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, likely driven by walking and stress reduction.
These findings were confirmed infollow-up analyses, which accounted for other variables among dog owners, such as a younger age, better physical fitness and higher socio-economic status.
Researchers still found a 17 per cent reduction in dying early from any cause.
The science suggests dogs can support wellbeing — but only when workplaces are designed for them.(Pexels:Karolina Grabowska)
When it comes to mental health, outcomes are less clear.Reviewsshowmixed effects, depending on population, pet type and measurement.
A recentmetanalysisthat draws on the results of earlier studies found modest gains in physical activity, but small and inconsistent effects on depression and anxiety. That nuance matters at work.
Dogs in the workplace
Research suggests dogs can improve workplace wellbeing — but only under the right conditions. Studies report lower perceived stress, improved mood and stronger social connection.
Emerging, high-qualityevidencesuggests workplace pets can positively affect stress and social interaction. But it also identifies negative outcomes where risks are poorly managed.
What are those risks? Anoccupational health reviewby the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned dogs can introduce new hazards, including:
allergies
phobias
hygiene issues
bites.
Dog-friendly policies for the office therefore raise safety and inclusion issues that need to be considered alongside any lifestyle perks.
What the law says
In Australia, ordinary pets have no automatic right to enter a workplace. Employers may allow pets as a matter of policy, provided they meet their obligations underwork health and safetylaws.
Governmentguidancerecommends consulting staff, undertaking a risk assessment, establishing clear rules and ensuring a suitable premises.
However, while pets are optional, assistance dogs are usually not. The law reflects this balancing act.
Under Australia'sDisability Discrimination Act, it is unlawful to treat a person unfavourably because they use an assistance animal, subject to some narrow and clearly defined exceptions.
Assistance dogs arelegally recognisedas disability aids, not pets, and may support both physical and psychological disabilities.
Importantly, thelawrequires assistance animals to be trained to an appropriate standard, meaning:
trained to an appropriate standard to assist a person with a disability
trained to meet standards of hygiene and behaviour appropriate for an animal in a public place.
Employers may ask for evidence that a dog is an assistance animal and meets appropriate standards of hygiene and behaviour. But the lawdoes not requirea single national certificate or ID card.
An employer can only refuse to allow an assistance dog access in very narrow circumstances, such as where exclusion is reasonably necessary to protect health or safety and risks cannot be managed through reasonable adjustments.
What this looks like in Australian workplaces
Work health and safety laws in all states and territories now include a positive duty to managepsychosocial hazardsat work — such as stress, poor support and harmful workplace design.
This means employers cannot rely on blanket bans justified by vague safety concerns. They must identify hazards, consult workers and implement proportionate controls — whether dogs are excluded or allowed.
Some employers have formalised dog-friendly design. Amazon's Sydney office, for example, runs a Dogs at Work program with a dedicated onsite dog area to manage safety and hygiene risks.
Others are a little more cautious. Tasmanian company RACT expanded a Furry Friday trial only after introducing rosters, limits per floor and consulting with staff.
Co-working spaces such asCreativeCubes.Copublish detailed pet policies, while explicitly carving out assistance animals to reflect discrimination law.
The bottom line
The science suggests dogs can support wellbeing — but only when workplaces are designed for them. Australian law mirrors that evidence-based approach.
As employers rethink wellbeing in a post-pandemic workplace, the real question is no longer should dogs be allowed?. Rather, it's whether policies are lawful, evidence-based and inclusive.
