Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day

We tend to be a little suspicious of proclamations such as "Friday, June 20, is Take Your Dog to Work Day." (Doesn't it sound a bit like a Hallmark conspiracy?) And yet, our dog is so ab-fab that we're tempted to ignore the voices in our head that say "Perhaps the L.A. Times newsroom is not a great place to bring your terrier-mix for the day," and sneak the little guy past security, past the boss' office and into the tiny space under the work station that passes for leg room.

According to the Take Your Dog to Work Day website, the celebration has been around since 1999. Its primary sponsor appears to be Pet Sitters International, the "world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, representing nearly 8,000 independent professional pet-sitting businesses in the United States, Canada and abroad." (We had no idea!)

If you're wondering who on earth would allow their employees to bring dogs to work, a report on MSNBC says "as many as 10,000 companies in the United States and Canada opened their doors to employees' dogs during the annual event held last June."

How will Southern California officially celebrate? Well, we've received one piece of intelligence from a news release issued by the L.A. County Department of Public Works: "This Friday is 'Take Your Dog to Work Day,' and County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works officials will use this day to remind dog owners of the importance of picking up after their pet, for the health of their four-legged friends and our environment." (We suspect the county is not in a true mood to celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day.)

If by some chance you really can bring your dog to work, Denise Flaim of Newsday has some tips about what to do to create a good first impression.

1. Tire him out before you show up at work

2. Bring distractions

3. Create a refuge

4. Take the stairs

5. Avoid accidents with regular potty breaks

6. If your dog is not friendly, to humans or other dogs, don't bring him to the office. It won't end well.

Truth told, we have a few worries about Take Your Dog to Work Day. In Southern California, we already take our beloved to doggie daycare, doggie spas and holistic veterinarians. The workplace might be something of a letdown.

-- Alice Short

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[RG PetComm]

Top 10 Things to Say to Convince Your Boss to Allow you to bring your dog to work:

10. Kill 2 birds with one stone, the pet supplies store is next to the office supplies store.
9. The squirrels in the neighborhood deserve a break.
8. Wagging tails work great when the a/c is on the fritz.
7. With a dog as your passenger, you’ll be able to use the car pool lane on the way to the pet supplies store.
6. It’s a great way to lick the work day blahs!
5. My dog thinks you’re grrrrrrreat!
4. Meetings end as soon as Rover starts staring at the conference room door.
3. You can blame those missing reports on one of your employees’ dogs.
2. It’s the leash you can do.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK…
1. Finally, someone at your office will actually be working like a dog.!

Good Dog Panda !! !!!

[Enci]

I love this idea! And if people who take public transportation to work could also bring their dog with them, now that would be pretty awesome!

[Lindsey - CanineCommuter.com]

Instead of taking my dog to work....I took my work to the dogs! I've started two dog-related companies and absolutely love my co-workers (my English Cocker Spaniels, Spencer, Maggie and Madison)

If you're taking your dog to work, make sure they have a safe commute! -