The Pawffice: Take Your Dog To Work Day
When I was told that today was take your dog to work day, I was confused. I’m at work every day, so what makes today so special? I’m a good enough boy to be invited back every day, and other good boys and girls are only invited once a year? I really must be an extra good boy to be invited back so much!
As Chief Canine Officer, I brought a dog to work today! His name is Bear, and he’s my best friend. We like to go on walks together at Overton Park and his owner gives me the best treats! I loaned him one of my bowties to comply with our office dress code, and our day got started!
Having a dog work with you has extreme positives and negatives. I’ll start with the negatives since whenever I have to take icky medicine, I get a treat afterwards and I’m happy again.
DISTRACTIONS
Bear is always up in my business. Asking me to play, asking for treats, trying to take my toys, it’s constant! Since he’s not even a year old yet, he takes more naps than I do, but he is still always bouncing off the walls! I had to tell him to stop chewing on things, spilling his food, taking him to the bathroom, it was constant supervision. The firm is lucky to have me to reign in the distractions and obviously not cause them myself.
NOISE
Bear is a really good puppy, but he’s still a puppy. He makes noise, whether it’s barking at the tiny people through the windows of our offices, playing with his toys, or chewing on a bone. That can get annoying. I want that bone. I want to play with those toys. I want to bark at the tiny people down on the street through the window. I know they hear me because I’m protecting the office and no one has broken in. Bear is stealing my thunder and I don’t like it.
Even though there are a couple of negatives, there are far more positives to having a dog in the office.
TEAM MORALE
Bear is so sweet. People love walking into our office and saying hello to him. Even though he may bark sometimes, people like to take five or ten minutes to pet him and it seems to really make them happy. Even though Bear is a handful sometimes, he makes everyone around him in a better mood. As Chief Canine Officer, I can recognize when my staff is performing at peak level, and they are today.
MY OWN PRODUCTIVITY
Usually around this point of the day, I start to drag on. My naptime is right around the corner, but I’m wide awake. Why? Bear is keeping me moving. Being stationary for so long is just as hard on dogs as people. When people are stationary, I notice that they are extra sleepy and less likely to take me on walks when they get home. (And we all know The Pawffice is very pro walk). Breaks to pet Bear, take him outside to go to the bathroom, playing with a toy with him for 5 minutes help keep me sharp throughout the day.
Working for hours with no breaks can drain your brain and make you to sleepy to work productively the rest of the day. Why else do people always want to play with me around 2PM on a normal day? They need that burst of excitement and fun to get them through the rest of the day, and Bear helps me with that too!
IT’S FUN
This one is simple. It’s just more fun to have a dog around. Everyone, even me when Bear is playing with my toys, has just been in a better mood having him here today and it’s making them work more efficiently. Having fun at work can be hard, but take your dog to work day is the most fun day of the year!
Thank you for reading the latest issue of The Pawffice! Archie appreciates you learning about the pros and cons of take your dog to work day! We hope we have convinced some employers to do take your dog to work day next year! For more Pawffice, visit our blog here!