A police officer may know that their department has an employee assistance program, understand that counselling is available, and still have little interest in approaching the service.
There are many reasons for that. Previous experiences, concerns about confidentiality, workplace culture, and uncertainty about the people delivering support can all influence whether someone chooses to participate.
What happens when a professionally trained Facility Dog becomes part of that mental health team?
A recent study involving the New York City Police Department examined that question, with findings that deserve attention from organizations developing mental health services for first responders.
The NYPD Facility Dog Study
In October 2025, researcher Kenneth M. Quick and colleagues published a randomized controlled trial examining Facility Dogs working with the New York City Police Department’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
The researchers assigned police patrol units to different conditions. Some officers attended EAP informational sessions that included a Facility Dog, while others attended sessions without one.
The sessions were delivered by EAP counsellors who were also sworn members of the department.
The study examined four outcomes: officers’ willingness to use the EAP, their perceptions of organizational support, their perceptions of support from the EAP, and their receptivity to dogs being used in workplace wellness programming.
Officers exposed to the Facility Dog reported significantly more positive perceptions of organizational support and the EAP. They were also more receptive to using dogs for workplace wellness.
Their reported willingness to use the EAP did not significantly increase.
That final finding is particularly interesting.
Feeling Supported Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Seeking Treatment
The study suggests that the presence of a Facility Dog can influence how employees perceive the support available to them.
Officers who encountered the dog during an EAP presentation reported more favourable views of the organization and its employee assistance services.
Yet those perceptions did not translate into a measurable increase in stated willingness to use the program.
An employee can appreciate an organization’s efforts to provide mental health support while remaining reluctant to seek treatment personally.
The reasons may involve privacy, previous experiences, professional concerns, or a belief that they do not currently need assistance. The study did not establish which of these factors explained the unchanged willingness to use the EAP.
It also measured reported intentions rather than subsequent treatment attendance.
For program developers, the distinction is useful. Improving perceptions of support may be a worthwhile outcome, but it should be measured separately from referrals, treatment engagement, and clinical improvement.
What Canadian Healthcare Workers Have Reported
A January 2026 study published in INQUIRY examined the experiences of employees at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Ontario, where a full-time Facility Dog named Ember had been introduced to support staff.
Researchers interviewed 27 participants, including clinical and non-clinical employees and volunteers.
Participants described the dog as offering a distinctive form of support, with opportunities for brief relief from workplace stress and informal connection.
They also discussed changes in how they experienced organizational support, including the sense that the hospital was making an effort to recognize employee well-being.
The interviews revealed limitations.
Some employees had fewer opportunities to interact with the dog because of their job responsibilities. Participants also recognized that improvements to workplace conditions were still necessary.
This was a qualitative study of employees’ experiences. It did not demonstrate that the Facility Dog reduced long-term burnout, improved retention, or produced lasting mental health outcomes.
The findings do, however, offer a useful picture of how an embedded dog-handler team may become part of the ordinary working environment.
The Value of a Familiar Team
An embedded Facility Dog team has opportunities that occasional visiting teams may not have.
Employees may encounter the same dog and handler during routine workplace activities, scheduled wellness sessions, or structured programming.
Over time, they become familiar with the team’s presence and the services associated with it.
The dog may provide a natural reason for someone to stop, participate in an activity, or speak briefly with the handler.
Where that handler is a qualified mental health professional or appropriately trained peer support worker, those interactions can also provide opportunities to learn about available resources.
Whether repeated contact increases trust or subsequent use of professional mental health services needs to be evaluated directly.
The NYPD research demonstrates that a Facility Dog can positively influence perceptions of organizational and EAP support during an informational session. It does not establish that repeated interactions will necessarily lead to treatment.
A New Canadian Operational Stress Intervention Dog
In September 2026, Fraser Health introduced Ceri, an Operational Stress Intervention Dog working alongside its Critical Incident Stress Management team in British Columbia.
Ceri was professionally trained by BC & Alberta Guide Dogs and placed through a partnership involving Wounded Warriors Canada.
The team supports healthcare workers who experience traumatic or critical incidents at work.
Fraser Health describes Ceri’s role as providing opportunities for comfort, connection, and decompression within the workplace.
His placement illustrates how organizations are beginning to incorporate professionally trained dogs into existing staff support services rather than operating them solely as occasional visiting programs.
The Handler Determines How the Dog Is Integrated
At Fire Team K9, our Facility Dog model is built around the partnership between the trained dog and the skilled handler.
Our Operational Stress and Trauma Intervention Facility Dogs begin with the same foundational training as our Operational Stress Injury Service Dogs, then receive additional preparation to work with multiple people in professional settings.
They are partnered with qualified mental health professionals and appropriately trained peer support personnel serving veterans, first responders, and their families.
The handler determines how the dog can participate within their professional responsibilities.
That may involve structured group activities, emotional regulation exercises, workplace wellness programming, psychoeducation, or interventions delivered by a qualified clinician.
The dog contributes trained behaviours, an opportunity for interaction, and a consistent presence within the service.
Clinical decisions, professional boundaries, confidentiality, and referrals remain the responsibility of the qualified human professional.
The dog’s welfare is also part of that responsibility. An embedded working environment requires appropriate rest, opportunities to disengage, and continuing assessment of the dog’s comfort and suitability for the work.
Measuring the Effects of an Embedded Facility Dog Team
Recent studies provide several outcomes worth examining when evaluating Facility Dog programs.
The NYPD research measured perceptions of organizational support, perceptions of the employee assistance program, receptivity to canine-assisted wellness, and willingness to use available services.
The Ontario hospital study explored employee experiences, opportunities for brief stress relief, organizational changes, and barriers to participation.
Research involving a Facility Dog working in a high-stress national security environment at the Pentagon has also examined immediate stress reduction, teamwork, and the experiences of staff and handlers.
In that study, participants reported an average 19% reduction in stress following interactions with the dog. The researchers also identified themes involving communication, team cohesion, and workplace connection.
These are promising early findings, although they do not establish that Facility Dog programs prevent PTSD or produce sustained reductions in burnout.
For FTK9, evaluating an embedded team means examining the objectives of the actual service being delivered.
A workplace wellness program may assess perceived stress, participation, and employee experiences. A peer support program may examine engagement, connection, and access to resources. A clinical intervention requires measures appropriate to its treatment goals.
The dog’s welfare and the handler’s professional practice must be included in that evaluation.
Where the Research Leads
The NYPD study raises an important consideration for organizations introducing Facility Dogs into workplace mental health services.
An employee’s perception of available support can improve without any immediate change in their willingness to seek treatment.
That finding gives organizations a reason to examine what happens after the initial interaction. Do employees become more familiar with the service? Do they understand what is available? Are they comfortable approaching the professionals involved? Does that familiarity eventually influence their use of support?
Those questions remain open.
For Fire Team K9, they are also relevant to how we develop and evaluate our Facility Dog placements.
The dog can create opportunities for engagement. The handler brings the professional knowledge and skills required to use those opportunities appropriately. Together, they can become a regular part of the services available to veterans and first responders.
The research is beginning to show how employees experience these teams within their workplaces. Understanding their longer-term contribution will depend on following those experiences beyond the initial visit.
References
Quick, K. M., et al. (2025). Evaluating facility dogs as a workplace intervention in policing: A randomized controlled trial in New York City. Police Practice and Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2025.2566731
Baweja, J., Coe, J. B., Kamal, M., Noorloos, J., Saragosa, M., Nowrouzi-Kia, B., & Gohar, B. (2026). A qualitative inquiry to understand the impact of a facility dog on hospital workers’ perceived organizational support. INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, 63. https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580261417528
Fraser Health. (2026, September 23). Meet Ceri, the first Operational Stress Intervention (OSI) dog in Fraser Health. https://www.fraserhealth.ca/news/2026/Sep/Meet-Ceri-the-first-Operational-Stress-Intervention-dog-in-Fraser-Health
Facility dog programmatic effects on individuals working in high-stress environments. (2025). Military Medicine, 190(Supplement 2), 581. https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/190/Supplement_2/581/8256247
