DEAR PET TALK: Friday, June 20, is “Take Your Dog To Work” Day. How does that work? Canine Connoisseur
DEAR CANINE CONNOISSEUR: Yes, the Friday after Father’s Day is designated as “Take Your Dog To Work Day,” also “Take Your Pet To Work Day.” This event was started in 1999 by Pet Sitters International as a way to highlight dog adoptions, and to “encourage employers to experience the joys of pets in the workplace for one day to support their local pet communities,” according to the PSI website.
In my experience, businesses with one or just a few employees very often will have the owner’s dog on site, as a companion, or a guard dog (one friend with a jewelry store has the most gorgeous Leonberger). Aubuchon Hardware in Fitchburg has a pair of cats who work in the store, which stocks all varieties of bird seed, which rodents would love to get at.
However, the modern office, with cubicles, or open-plan is a less conducive environment for “Bring Your Pet to Work Day.” For the most part, liability is definitely an issue, and of course keeping a pet safe in the course of a work-day is key.
Enter therapy pets. Be PAWSitive gets requests for our TheraPAWS therapy pet teams to visit a variety of workplaces, and in the past couple of years, we’ve brought dogs, cats, and a rabbit to everywhere from churches, to the Police and Fire stations, to City Hall in Fitchburg. The best way to “bring a pet to work” on the day in question is to reach out to a therapy pet group and see if they are available on that day. In my view, however, therapy pets are most appreciated for brief visits in a work environment on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays — because sometimes starting the week is difficult!
But even without actual pets, PSI also urges everyone in a management or administrative position to encourage their employees to “host virtual celebrations of TYDTWDay, giving employees an opportunity to show off their pets remotely, to support animal shelters and/or animal-rescue groups, and to learn more about professional pet-care services.”
Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. We welcome your questions about pets! Send to: BePAWSitive01420@gmail.com, text 978-320-1335.
