Puppy Break! Isn't that the dream? A little bit of stress relief and cuddles from 'man's best friend?'
Here’s your chance! Friday is International ‘Take Your Dog to Work Day!’
On this day every year, employers are encouraged to open their doors and hearts to our furry friends to promote the benefits of pet ownership and animal adoption.
Before you bring the pooch into the cubicle, it’s important to check with your organisation to ensure bringing your dog to work is appropriate and will not affect the health and welfare of your co-workers. Some work environments may not be appropriate or safe for dogs.
Need some help convincing your employers? Not only will it be fun for you and your pooch but studies have found that employees who were around dogs in the workplace reported feeling less stressed. Other business-enhancing benefits are improved morale and a reduction in employee absenteeism as well as stress-related ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.
If you can participate in this great day use the below as a checklist to see if your dog can make the great leap into the workforce
Before Fido joins you:
- Ensure your dog is microchipped, registered, desexed and up to date with their vaccinations.
- Dogs should be well socialised with other dogs and people (and should not exhibit biting behaviour).
- Bring your pet’s favourite blanket, bed, food and water bowl and some toys with you, so they feel comfortable in the new environment.
So Fido is now officially in the workplace. Now what?
- Dogs should remain at the desk of their owner, or the desk of another designated responsible person. If appropriate, the dog may also accompany their owner to other areas in the office such as meeting rooms etc.
- When you arrive, let your dog have some free time to meet any other dogs and say hello to your co-workers.
- Set aside time for toilet breaks and to take your dog for walks throughout the day.
- Be ready to clean up after your dog if they have any little ‘accidents’ in the office. Frequent toilet breaks should minimise any risk of this occurring but if it does occur, never punish the dog - new environments can be exciting and confusing so accidents may happen.
- To help keep your co-workers happy, dogs should not have access to the kitchen area.
- Remember to reward your dog’s calm behaviour in the office. Rewarding this behaviour reinforces calmness and makes the dog more likely to behave in this way again in the future.
Ask your employer if you can just have one day of puppy breaks!