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Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day

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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!)

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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

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