Dogs, rabbits … peacocks? UK offices navigate the rise of emotional support animals

Employers are reporting more, and more varied, emotional support animals in workplaces

The only problem Kathy has encountered taking her emotional support rabbit into work is when a new colleague wanted to bring in her emotional support dog.

“Her dog was sweet but there was obviously a risk he might attack my rabbit,” said the 28-year-old IT specialist, who uses a co-working office space in Bristol. “That destroyed all the therapeutic benefits for me of having an emotional support animal [ESA]; the calm was gone. I went into hyperaware overdrive.”