PETA welcomed dogs to hang out in the workplace long before the official start of "Take Your Dog to Work" Day in 1999. When I first started working at PETA in 1986, there were at least six dogs (and two cats!) in our office of only 28 employees. That number has now expanded to more than 30 dogs and numerous cats. The only stipulation is that the dogs have to be housetrained, be able to "play well with others," and not be disruptive. One of the many perks of working at PETA headquarters is that we have a gorgeous dog park, where dogs can romp and even swim during breaks and after work. The dogs love it, and so do the humans!
"Take Your Dog to Work" Day is coming up tomorrow, June 20, and it’s the perfect chance to remind your boss that having canine "coworkers" in the office benefits everyone. We all know that dogs can have a therapeutic effect on humans, lowering stress levels and blood pressure. And studies show that dog-friendly offices are thought to be progressive and workers with dogs more industrious. It makes total sense—employees are more likely to put in extra hours if they aren't worried about rushing home to let Rover out. And commuting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is less aggravating when Fluffy's belly is within scratching distance.
But best of all is that for dogs, a day at the office by their guardians' sides beats sitting home alone all day, bored, lonely, and crossing their legs because they have to "hold it" until their humans get home. They (like us) could use a brisk walk at lunchtime and a lot more affection throughout the day.
I thought I would profile just a small sampling of PETA's canine "regulars" for you:
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| Maggie's Jones: "Jones gets here and makes his rounds to the guys in IT to say hello and see if he has any mail (treats)—usually he does. Once he's made his rounds, Jones settles in for a nice nap on the stand next to my window where he can keep an eye on me and the staff around me as well as the birds and traffic outside. Here's a pic of Jones at work on Halloween—he really gets into the spirit of things (the costume lasted about as long as the treats did)." | Candace's Gordon: "Gordon is always the highlight of my day! It's just amazing having part of my family next to me all day while I'm working—I feel so fortunate. Coworkers who have met him have called him such things as 'wonderful' and 'perfection'—of course, I don't need to be convinced!" |
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| Peggy's Bella: "Bella appreciates her life and everyone in it like nobody I've ever known, because to her, humans are saviors from a life on the streets, living off acorns, crickets, and bottlecaps." | Amanda's Louie: "Every morning Louie races in, wagging and squeaking, in anticipation of reuniting with her favorite staffers, who are all just as excited to see her. Her daring 'pounce, spin around three times, then pounce again' approach of playing with her toys and chewies can brighten even the bleakest of days." |
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| Heather's Izzy: "Izzy loves to sit on her perch at the office windows enjoying the view outside, occasionally rolling over to ask coworkers to rub her belly. She plays with her brother, Killian, and enjoys dog park breaks throughout the day to sunbathe and roll around on her back in patches of grass that smell especially good." | Patti's Maguire: "Maguire LOVES coming to work with me―even if his idea of work is to sleep most of the day and visit his human coworkers whom he has trained to give him treats! This once incredibly shy dog, who used to shake in fear and hide behind furniture when I first adopted him, has now blossomed because of the many wonderful friends he has met at work who have offered a gentle scratch and a kind word." |
Comments ( 2 )
OH! You all are so lucky! I wish I could bring Pepper to work a couple of times a week.
More profiles of staff's dogs please!
Posted by Jaclyn | June 20, 2008 4:18 PM
Posted on June 20, 2008 16:18
Dear KP,
I am sorry for bothering you-but I am really desperate and since I didn´t find your email address I had to choose this way to ask you an important question.
Actually I do not want to post a comment but I hope u can answer me by mail.
I have four dogs-a mother (5 yrs) and her three children (all of them 2 yrs).
Now my problem is that they have seperation anxiety. The mother can stay alone if her puppies aren´t around.But if they are together the puppies bark and whine and the mother starts to dig the door. Since the pups only know a life with me always around-it is obvious that they have to learn to stay on their own from scratch.
But there are some combinations and exceptions to this behavior like: I can leave one pup (but only one of the boys,not the girl) with the mother at home and everything is fine.
So I think the main problem is that the mother is unconfident and can not handle all the pups.
The other problem is one of the pups, the girl (the other two pups are boys). The girl gave herself a job, namely to notice everything and sign it by barking.She is also a kind of princess in the pack-the boys allow her everything and protect her if she squeaks because of another dog.
I do not give her different attention or rules.They all have to be nice to each other-and I always step between them if thoose sibling rivalry comes in.
I already started desenzitation and positive training when left alone (gave them bones because they already associated my absence with the kongs I gave them and did not take them).
But perhaps you can help me how it works with four dogs at once and give me some advice.
I thank you very much and I really appreciate your help and your great blog as well.
KP's Response:
Hi Andrea!
I hesitate to offer advice from afar. I think your best bet would be to hire a dog behaviorist to come to your house and evaluate your particular situation and give you specific advice.
Good luck!
KP
Posted by andrea | June 24, 2008 11:47 AM
Posted on June 24, 2008 11:47