Go Ahead and Bring Your Dog to Work – But Beware!

Recently Groomed Brown Poodle

During the pandemic, many American households acquired a pet, most commonly a dog or cat, to keep home-based workers company and generally help assuage anxiety. When people began returning to work, evolving corporate policies permitting pets in the workplace work were turbocharged.

In fact, California employment law requires companies to welcome support dogs and other animals into the workplace under new disability regulations issued by the California Fair Employment and Housing Council.

Black and White Poodle Relaxing on the Floor

Pet-Friendly Workplaces: What the Numbers Say

Those of us who are dog owners understand the calming effect we enjoy from being in the company of our pooches. According to a survey by LiveCareer, bringing a pet to work not only benefits the owner – 76 percent of people reported that having pets in the workplace was a positive experience – but also other workers. People said they appreciated the increased socialization with coworkers (51 percent), a relaxed environment (33 percent) and reduction of stress (28 percent).

More than this, people generally just like the idea of pets at work and would factor this in when they decide whether to take a job. In the LiveCareer survey, 49 percent of respondents said that a pet-friendly environment would motivate them to accept a job offer, while 52 percent said that pet-friendly benefits and policies are important when considering an employer.

Yet, despite the clear benefits of animal companionship in the office, one workplace poet* sounds a warning note about our pets’ prey instincts:

Your brain’s a gnarled nest of nerves? Then take your dog to work.

A furry friend might help you fight the urge to go berserk.

But just make sure the animal that sits near you all day.

Does not view someone else’s animal as easy prey.

The food chain doesn’t come delinked just ‘cause your world’s not wild.

And even though your darling beast to you is like a child.

To Fido, work mates’ treasured pets who snooze beside their feet.

Look much more like a tasty lunch or yummy mid-day treat.

Dogs, Cats, Fish, and More, Oh My!

According to the LiveCareer study, most people’s experience with pets at the office focused on dogs (94 percent), followed by working with cats (84 percent) and—surprisingly—with fish (36 percent), birds (24 percent) or even rodents, amphibians or reptiles. It may seem appealing to turn the workplace into a menagerie, but the poet draws on personal experience of an in-office tragedy to provide a warning:

On our floor we learned pets can take a myriad of forms.

Pierre brought in French circus fleas and Francine loves her worms.

But Henry’s snake got loose one day, which caused a few to grouse.

The next day Mary Jane inquired: “Why can’t I find my mouse?”

The sales guy’s cat, a tiger hue, channeled his inner lynx.

He stalked among the cubicles, as silent as a sphynx.

For kibble did not satisfy this killer with cute paws.

And that explains Joy’s discontent – her rat was in its jaws.

Two Service Dog Poodles Sitting in the Crosswalk

It’s a Jungle!

We often hear that the work environment is a Darwinist competition, with only the fittest surviving. So beware: bringing your dog or other pet to work may provide comfort, but may also become an episode in the battle for survival among beasts. As the poet says:

For all your tensions and your strains your pet may give relief.

At least that is the current psychological belief.

But all these beasts can make the workplace seem much like a zoo.

Yes, it’s a jungle out there, and a jungle in here too.

All images Courtesy: MobilityDog.org.

* The poem appeared in Thomas O. Davenport’s collection, “Get the Hell to Work: Humorous Verse about Work & Life,” published in 2020 by Kelsay Books Inc.