We took a look at nine major U.S. cities to see how much dogs were getting walked when people were remote during the pandemic (August to December 2020) versus when many offices opened (the same time period in 2021).
The conclusion? When employees are back in the office, they walk their dogs less, and the difference amounts to an average of 2.5 miles less per month nationwide.
Below are the back-to-the-office differences by metropolitan area, based on data from millions of dog walks nationwide.
An average of 4 miles less per month:
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
- Memphis-Forrest City, TN-MS-AR
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK
An average of 3 miles less per month:
- New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA,
- Denver-Aurora, CO
- Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL
An average of 2 miles less per month:
- Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL
- San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX
- Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Overall, it looks like dog parents and dogs alike would benefit from flexibility to bring their best friends to the workspace.
Petting dogs has been proven to lower anxiety and blood pressure while increasing levels of serotonin and dopamine. The benefits go beyond just employee mental health—Dr. Jeff Werber, Fi Veterinary Consultant and Emmy award-winning veterinarian says, “Besides the obvious emotional benefits, we’ve seen that petting a dog can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, i.e. ‘get a Labrador instead of Lipitor.’”
Fi builds cutting-edge technology to elevate the relationship between millions of dog parents and their dogs. Find out more at http://tryfi.com/.
