June 23 is Take Your Dog to Work Day in 2017. As someone who works from home, every day in my office is Take Your Dog to Work Day--though in my case, it is Take Your Dogs since I have two rescues, Oscar and Sadie.
Yes, my home office is a pet friendly office. By being in the office each day with me, my dogs are assured my companionship, regular walks throughout the day, and plenty of treat breaks. (I'll usually grab a quick cup of coffee for myself while the dogs munch on their treat.)
If you aren't fortunate enough to be able to work for yourself, you might be happy to know that there are plenty of companies that are considered to have a pet friendly office, because they either welcome dogs on an occasional basis or every day.
I wrote about some of these companies for Parade.com about Take Your Dog to Work Day. (Remember: before I became a dog party entrepreneur, I was a writer, author and blogger--and still am. Here is a link to my books on Amazon.com, if you're interested.)
I found so much great information about companies whose benefits include dogs in the office. And at many of these companies, the dogs get their own benefits from being four-legged employees. Some of those benefits include:
- Bissell: The company that makes cleaning products to clean up all of your dog's oops moments has plenty of doggie amenities on site. According to Bark Magazine, "Pet Spot, is their pet-friendly facility featuring work stations, conference area, indoor kennels, dog bathing station and play area."
- Clif Bar: The nutrition bar maker probably stocks lots of Clif Bars in its break room (for human consumption, of course), but for its dog employees, it offers a huge off-leash area, encouraging lots of exercise for pups and their people.
- Kimpton Hotels: Kimpton employees who bring dogs to work know they'll be treated well with dog beds, water bowls and plenty of dog toys. Kimpton Hotels for travelers are also dog friendly, so you can bring your dog or cat with you on a business trip.
If these companies have break rooms where dogs are welcome or even a separate break room for the pups, I have a proposition to make: consider investing in a dog bone shaped cake pan and a bunch of boxes of Puppy Cake mix (the latter being on sale right now).
You may not realize it but that Puppy Cake mix is microwaveable. It only takes a few minutes to make one of these cakes. That means that during break time you could offer your four-legged employees or four-legged coworkers a dog-friendly and people-friendly cake.
If you don't have time to make the yogurt frosting that comes in each box of Puppy Cake, you can put cut-up fruit on top (bananas are a yummy option) or even spread peanut butter on top. By offering a yummy piece of Puppy Cake to your colleagues and their pups, you're sure to win over their friendship and loyalty.
Finally, if you're the owner of a dog friendly workplace, what about adding one of our dog breed doormats in front of the office front door? What a great way to say to your customers and employees, "Dogs welcome here!"