All about puppy and kitten therapy

At Urban Paws UK we don’t just provide top class animal talent. We supply pet industry professionals, ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ disabled models, and an extensive range of pet influencers. What you might not know is that we also offer a different service; puppy and kitten therapy.

Interacting with baby dogs and cats has become a popular way to reduce worry during stressful periods. For employees in high-stress positions or overwhelmed final-year students, interacting with puppies can be a surprisingly effective way to reduce anxiety, particularly in a group setting. We offer litters of puppies and kittens for hire to give businesses, charities, and other organisations an adorable and calming treat during the toughest times.

These ‘puppy parties’ are the perfect way to decompress after or during a particularly stressful period like a financial year end or exam season. Puppy and kitten therapy offers social and health benefits to both clients and the animals themselves.

Let’s explore a bit deeper.

What is pet therapy?

Pet therapy animals should not be confused with assistance dogs. Assistance dogs are specially trained to help those who need consistent help and specific care such as the blind, deaf, and autistic. They should also not be mistaken for mental support dogs, which is another group of working animals that support a single person to help them deal with mental health issues like PTSD.

Therapy animals are instead used to relieve short-term stress and improve our mood. You may think puppies and kittens are used simply for their ‘cute factor’, but using young animals teaches them invaluable life experience early on. Our therapy animals are not trained beforehand and are simply there to be stroked and played with in an organic way.

Simply put, our animals are there to brighten the days of clients, who are encouraged to cuddle, stroke, and play with them. However, interacting with puppies and kittens isn’t just fun, it also offers some surprisingly effective health benefits.

What are the benefits of using therapy animals for hire?

Therapy puppies at Barclays

Interacting with therapy animals has been proven to reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular health, in addition to producing calming endorphins that improve mood. This is achieved through stroking sessions. Stroking an animal focuses our attention and creates similar calming effects to what we feel when we meditate. Being around animals may also produce oxytocin, the chemical associated with being in love.

Here is what medical journal The News in Health says about how interactions with pets can improve your health;

‘Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.’

Productivity at work can also be improved through puppy and kitten therapy. A report by Mind found that 1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from a mental health issue at some point in their lives, while a separate study by The Mental Health Foundation found that addressing mental health in the workplace can see productivity increase by up to 12%. Offering employees (particularly those in high-intensity roles) the opportunity to reduce stress through animal interactions can be highly beneficial to all parties.

But what about the animals themselves? You’ll be pleased to know that therapy visits are actually beneficial, as they help them to learn valuable socialisation techniques and get them acquainted with people from a young age.

What can Urban Paws UK do to help?

We have many puppies and kittens available as therapy animals. These adorable little tykes can be brought into a variety of settings; from workplaces, to schools, to private ‘puppy parties’. High-stress environments like offices often benefit the most from puppy and kitten therapy, though we’ve also seen private ‘puppy parties’ help calm stressed out students at times where anxiety is at its peak.

Urban Paws UK provides litters of puppies and kittens for a set period of time, in which clients are allowed to stroke, pet, and play with them in any way they wish. There will always be a trained professional on site to ensure that appropriate animal care is enforced and children must always be supervised.

Puppy pens and soft flooring can be hired at an additional cost.

All you need do is get in touch and we’ll provide a litter of puppies or kittens for any event. Our clients always come out of a pet therapy event feeling refreshed, calm, and revitalised.

But don’t take our word for it, take a look at some of our past campaigns…

Customer Testimonials

Therapy puppies at Barclays

We’ve hired out our fair share of puppies and kittens since we established the service. Here are some examples of a successful pet therapy events from past clients.

Barclays gives students a taste of puppy love

Barclays bank got in touch with us and booked a litter of therapy puppies to promote emotional wellbeing in students after a study found that 41% found managing money a stressful part of the university experience. Check out the results!

Victoria Leeds sees the benefit of therapy animals

A number of our talented pooches including Betty the Maltese x Yorkie, Edward the Cocker Spaniel, and Matilda the Cocker Spaniel were called out to Victoria in Leeds. The shopping and leisure area allowed passersby to interact with the therapy animals, which led to warm reactions and improved moods.

Channel 5’s Posh Hotels features Urban Paws UK therapy dogs

The Savoy Hotel in London is known for going the extra mile to please its guests. When one customer missed his dog, they immediately hired us to provide him with a litter of therapy puppies!

Radio X’s Chris Moyles meets our therapy kittens

Our British short hair kittens were hired to surprise the former Radio 1 DJ during his show on Radio X. It’s safe to say he was a fan!

Urban Paws UK kittens on ITV’s This Morning

This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield certainly seemed to enjoy meeting our therapy kittens live on air!

Get in touch to find out more about pets as therapy or check out our range of therapy farm animals.

Note: At Urban Paws UK we are committed to treating every animal in an ethical and responsible way. Please get in touch for more information on how we put pet care first.