The Culture of Dogs At Work

I grew up as a kid with a German Shepherd and her name was Lilly. Lilly was with me then only for less than 6 months because Lilly grew-up so fast and so big that she simply would not fit in the small home we lived back then. I dealt with separation anxiety at that point because as a kid I had gotten so emotionally attached to Lilly that I could not acknowledge she cannot be with us. Eventually I was convinced by my Dad and I agreed. A few weeks later after we had given her away to a new owner, we decided to give her a visit and check on her. I was so excited for that day and it all worked out fine. But Lilly went into separation anxiety for a prolonged time right after that visit and stopped eating. Lilly lost so much weight and became bare bones that the new owner had to call my Dad as they were getting worried she might not pull through. We brought back to give her the love she needs and to get her back in a healthy shape. And the second time we parted ways, we decided to give Lilly back to the breeder with the thinking that she will do fine in a setting with other dogs around her. And it did.

My love for Dogs since then has been unparalleled. And it’s no surprise my daughter has the same genes in her, in fact a step further where she loves all animals and not just dogs. It took me a while to cave in and agree to a decision of having a pet back in our home because I was mentally worried about the anxiety we will have to deal with when your pet is not around us. One fine day, I brought Oreo into our lives. Oreo is a 3.5 year old Havanese and is a bundle of joy. Oreo has made me realize that while my daughter, I and my wife do not have a lot of things in common, we do take pride in our unparalleled love for dogs of all kinds.

This special emotion I have for dogs made me realize why few companies like Amazon have a dog-friendly culture.

Amazon is so dog friendly that even their retail site will show pictures of an Amazonian's dog when the site has a hiccup. It’s simply amazing to see a cute little dog’s face when you as a customer are upset that you are unable to buy your favorite product. And you are presented with a picture of a dog that reads “Sorry, we couldn’t find that page...with a picture of meet the dogs of Amazon” (Ref article ). In fact, I personally believe a number of Amazon leadership principles were inspired by dogs. Wonder how?

Dogs teach you about earning trust. Whether you adopt a dog or buy one from a breeder, earning trust with them is no easy feat. It takes a lot of persistence, iteration and active engagement all done consistently over a prolonged time. But once the trust is earned, Dogs will show emotions towards you that cannot be described in words. Dogs cannot speak but there is a unique language that only you and your dog will understand. As your partner, your dog is always there for you to listen to you. If the trust is broken with your dog, the road to get it back is even more difficult and some extreme cases cannot be regained.

Once you have the trust earned with your dog you will realize they are so obsessed about their owners (their customer). Dogs will protect their owners, the people they love and demonstrate ownership to put themselves on the line if they have to protect them at all costs. Dogs have no fear of death as long as they get to do the right thing to protect their loved owner. Dogs are a symbol of showing what it means to be customer obsessed.

Dogs are silly, funny and quirky. Their inquisitive nature is what makes them a creature of habit. Once established with a routine they will seldom break it and maintain their discipline with their habits. Dogs are a personification of learning and being curious. Law enforcements in every country have special K-9 dogs in their unit for the same exact reason. With their learn and curious attitude, a dog can be taught any special task to cooperate with their master and stay tenacious to protect their master.

Dogs are a true sign of Discipline, Obedience, Empathy, Compassion, and Guardianship. Simply put, Dogs are symbol of unconditional love.

It’s these unique traits that makes them a perfect addition to our workplace environment and helps create an inclusive culture.