Why You Should Bring Your Dog to Work:

So if you are reading this, chances are you either have a dog, you work in an office, or you just love dogs. Most dog lovers will agree with me when I say that dogs are man's best friend and their loyalty and the level of comfort they bring has yet to be rivaled with. In 2022 I got my first dog, Roxy, who unfortunately was not used to being in an apartment, let alone by herself. While she was easy to crate train, the amount of guilt I felt while having to keep her in the crate was eating away at me bit by bit. So, I got the brilliant idea of trying to bring her to class while I was in college. Unfortunately, that lasted a whole 5 minutes when I was promptly reminded that dogs were not allowed inside. That got me thinking, why not? Roxy is house-trained, she's calm, she does not get into things, and she loves people and other dogs. Why shouldn't I be able to bring her with me if I can? Well, I will answer that there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to. I understand some people may not be okay with dogs, which is completely understandable, this is a judgment-free zone, but for those of you who do love them, listen up.

My first main reason why dogs should be allowed to come to work is the pure joy that dogs bring to any room. If you walk into a room and a cute puppy is playing with a toy, 99% of the time you will smile and go "Aww". Now, imagine if you saw this every day, all day, and there was more than one puppy. Before anyone gets upset, I will state the obvious by saying that all dogs must pass a behavioral screening first to ensure they are okay with all the stressors in an office. They must also be friendly with people and other dogs and for the most part quiet. Older dogs are usually a safer bet if you want calmer and better trained dogs which would do best in an office space.

Dogs have also been proven to boost people's mood and creativity levels, and this is due to many reasons. Dogs make their humans get up and move which increases blood flow, which increases the brain's activity levels. So in short, dogs equal creativity boosters, which equals doing well at your job. Dogs also provide a change of scenery which may be very needed after sitting at the same desk day after day doing the same thing. They also have been proven to reduce anxiety and stress levels which is exactly what a person might need before a big sales call or meeting.

Here is another perspective to take into consideration, imagine it is your first day in a new office, you don’t know anyone, and you feel like you might be sick when you walk into the room. Then, you see a dog, wagging its tail and it comes right up to you, immediately making you feel better (if you like dogs). This simple interaction could be the beginning of a new friendship between you and the owner of the dog. Maybe you had the same dog growing up, or maybe the dog is normally shy but for some reason came right up to you.

When I first got Roxy, I had very few people I could actually call close friends and hang out with regularly. This became more difficult as time went on because all of us had different jobs and we all had different schedules. I wanted to make new friends, but I felt awkward just going to a random place and talking to random people about random things. Roxy became my fallback because I quickly discovered I was not the only one who found her adorable. So many people would come up to me and ask to pet her, and a few of them joined me on a walk with their dogs the next day. She was also always right by my side, if I got up, she would immediately follow. That kind of loyalty and love cannot be bought, and that simple act could turn someone’s bad workday right around.

Aside from creating an overall happier atmosphere in the workplace, studies have shown that dogs also increase their owner's health. This can result in fewer doctor visits and significantly lower healthcare costs annually.

A few problems that may arise, but can be dealt with, are distraction issues, inevitable messes, and regular potty breaks. If dogs are left unsupervised wandering around an office, they are probably going to get into something. Encouraging employees to train their dogs or somehow keep them contained in their personal office is the best way to ensure fewer distractions for others and a safer environment for the dog. Dogs are going to get into things because they are dogs, so putting trash cans, miscellaneous papers, and other chewable objects away is always a good idea. This can also result in an overall cleaner workplace if everyone is trying to keep their pets as safe as possible. Taking your dog out to go potty is a standard practice but can take too much time if they are refusing to use the bathroom. It is important to schedule enough time to take your dog out to use the bathroom and bring them back inside before you go back to work.

One of the most important things to consider when wanting to bring your dog to work is talking to everyone in the office to see how everyone feels about it and if there are any allergies. You will most likely need to go to your boss or even their superiors to get a new policy added to make it legit. Before bringing your dog to a busy day, make sure to bring them in on a slow day to see how they will handle being in an office. Introducing office dogs to one another should be just like any other proper introduction, which will take time. Another important item is to ensure your dog is up to date on all of their vaccinations if they are going to be around other dogs.

All in all, bringing your dog to the office can be an incredibly rewarding experience if done right. They provide so much love to not just their owner, but other people that may really need it. If you want to bring your dog to the office, make sure to consider the potential problems I discussed and how you can deal with them properly, good luck!