Take Your Dog To Work Day With Kilo the Pug
Dogs at Work?
June 26th is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. Apparently millions of dogs go to work with their owners every day in north America? Does yours? Are people and dogs that go to work together healthier?
Kilo the Pug works with me most days. He needs regular mental and physical exercise and loves my company. I could not leave him home alone all day and he would not do well with a dog walker or at day care. He is now the official mascot, product tester, exercise buddy/Fit Dog, pug hugger and inspiration on Talent Hounds.
#takeyourdog was started to promote adoption. I actually found Kilo through working with local rescue organizations on our Rescues Rock campaign.
Kilo and I are lucky. I am my own boss and work from home on dog-related projects. The people that work for and with me love dogs. My business partner also adopted a dog this year. Small sociable companion dogs can generally adapt to a work environment and schedule. Kilo is great in my home office with people he knows. We are more concerned and informed about pet health and wellness because of him and he often lightens the mood with his antics and affection. However, he would not do well in a bigger office with strangers coming and going. He is not obedient and gets very anxious. It would not be safe or fun for him or others and would be very stressful for me.
In a recent survey, conducted by 3 Million Dogs, 60% of Americans said they would take a cut in salary if they were allowed to bring their dogs to work.
This is Pet Sitters International’s 17th annual Take Your Dog To Work Day® Businesses around the globe will open their doors to employees’ canine co-workers to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to promote pet adoption. To ensure a peaceful, productive day of human and canine camaraderie, Pet Sitters International (PSI) has made a free 2015 Take Your Dog To Work Day Action Pack available at takeyourdog.com and seven tips to ensure success.
Pros and Cons of Dogs in The Workplace
Research shows that people who interact with pets tend to be happier and healthier, and that dogs can help ease anxiety for many people. I know Kilo gets me up walking every 2 hours and makes me laugh. We are both better off. Certainly dogs can provide wonderful therapy in places of work like hospitals and schools. Major companies like Google, Ben & Jerry’s, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Amazon that allow people to bring their dogs are included in lists of top places to work. A recent Central Michigan University study found that dogs in the workplace can lead to more trust between co-workers and more collaboration among team members.
My bank and my local Starbucks allow clients to bring in their dogs (on the assumption that they are well trained/safe). However, I just discovered that retailer Home Depot has now banned dogs as an employee was reportedly bitten. Most of my local food retailers and restaurants do not allow dogs citing health and safety issues. I have a friend whose large dog went to the office and had bathroom accidents, made messes and invaded people’s personal space. It is a sweet dog, but it made several people very uncomfortable. I don’t think it loved being there either. One person also complained about allergies.
A Hard Day’s Work?
Kilo can only take looking at the books or himself for so long. A day at the office can be very tiring.
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I know it works for Kilo and I at Talent hounds. What do you think? Should “bring your dog to work day” be every day? Do you work with your dog?
We love having our dogs with us all day…but I work from home, so not sure it really counts as ‘taking them to work’.
We have never found many disadvantages to having a dog at work unless the dog is not well behaved. We work with Mom from home most days and occasionally one of us will go along when she goes into the office. Being together makes us all so much happier!
I wish I could be with our dogs all day. I’ve been working very hard to make this a reality. My day job doesn’t honor Take Your Dogs to Work Day and I understand. There are people with allergies and it’s disruptive (as we all focus on the dog).
So I’m going to a lunch time event instead 🙂
Hope lunch was fun. I think we all have to be flexible and make dogs a positive. XS
This handsome lil’ guy should go into modelling as a profession!!!
sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com
I am in the same boat as SlimDoggy. I work from home, so I have my babies with me at work every day!
I love the videos and the thought provoking info on whether your dog is really office-ready.
We love to go to work with mom.
Shiner works with me everyday 🙂 She likes it. Kilo is one lucky pug too! I guess I didn’t think about people having allergies in the workplace. I guess bringing your dog to work may not be the best idea in every workplace setting. It sure is more fun that way though!
I think that having pets in the workplace is a great idea. Personally, I am helped a lot by having my kitties with me while I work. They help me to keep my emotions balanced throughout the day.
I love having Rocco with me everyday and now that I work from a home office, it’s no problem. I never worked in an office that allowed dogs, but I always wanted to. I think it’s great that at least some companies allow dogs. (Rocco makes sure I don’t sit too long in front of the computer. Frequent breaks are a good thing!)
Oh my goodness–Kilo in that tie! So cute! Barley would be such a distraction for my students and would hate to be left in my office when I had class, but she’s a very big helper when I’m working from home on grading, lesson planning, and my online class.
Sounds like Kilo LOL. He does like kids but just gets overwhelmed and certainly would not stay solo in an office for too long.
Hi Y’all!
My Humans have me around all the time except when they have meetings where they can’t take me or they’re going out to dinner where I can’t go. (Thanks Mr. Health Department, not.) The problem is that people should consider their dog’s personality, obedience, and if it’s sick, like a child, you should take it to the vet or leave it home. Regretfully, there are always going to be people with allergies or who don’t like dogs.
My Human thinks movin’ a blog, especially a long established one, is akin to movin’ into a different house. It takes awhile to get everything unpacked and put away and even longer to remember where everything is.
Check us out at our new home http://www.browndogcbr.net.
Our theme is still changing periodically as we try to select one that works the best for us and you, our readers.
Y’all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Agree and We sure will come by Hawk.
Mr. N hasn’t been to work with me but I think he would probably be fine. Portland is very dog-friendly so he’s used to going to stores and events of all kinds.
I would definitely take a pay cut if it meant I could bring Laika to work with me. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to work from home and we can keep each other company all the time 🙂
We also work from home, so our pups and kitties love the extra attention they get. Before I was married I did work 40-50 a week, my critters Willow (canine), Belle (feline), and Memphis (feline-now deceased) didn’t get nearly as much attention and while their needs were met I can tell they are happier now then before.
Like Kilo now I mainly work from home.
I think it depends on the situation. I’d love to see some businesses adopt an office dog. That would give a dog a forever “home” and bring the benefits of working with a dog. A well-trained dog can definitely lower anxiety and stress without interfering with the work day.
I love that office adoption idea, as long as one person had ultimate responsibility for love, care and training. XS
I work remote from home and always will and I will always have a dog. It’s the only way for me 😉
I love that the Take Your Dog To Work Day program has grown so much. I always wished I could bring one of my dogs to the office, but in the conservative large banks I worked for it was never allowed. Now that we work from home nearly all the time we have the dogs with us always. Life is so much better this way- doesn’t pay nearly as much but it’s so much sweeter! You definitely do need to know your dog’s behavior well before you bring him into a workplace. I’m glad Kilo enjoys working from home too!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I love the idea of taking your dogs to work with you. I used to work at a library and it would get boring and tedious after a while and a dog sure would have been nice.
I love having the boys at work. They make me happier and then better able to deal with the stresses of my job!