TYDTWDay® June 23rd 2017
Take Your Dog to Work Day has become a national phenomenon and holiday. It was created in 1999 by the very organization that crowned me Pet Sitter of the Year in 2009 – Pet Sitters International.
According to Pet Sitters International, the annual howliday always takes place the Friday following Father’s day and is intended to celebrate companion dogs and promote adoption. Employers are encouraged to allow staff to bring their dogs to work so that their joy can be spread throughout the workplace.
In all fairness it always seemed like a great holiday for pet owners but silly to be started by a pet sitting educational organization. As a pet care business owner, convincing my clients to take their dogs to work, thus not needing my service for the day always hurt our business a bit. Friday’s are already light days with many clients only working 4 days so it was a tough event for us to get behind. We tried to make the adoption angle more clear but in general people just got excited to be able to bring their pets to work.
It is great for non-pet owning people in the workplace to see the benefits of pets in the workplace, as long as they don’t fear them and can still get their work accomplished.
But if your boss doesn’t allow your bud in the building or Bella doesn’t like other pups or people cramping her style, don’t forget there are always professional dog walkers waiting to celebrate your dog everyday while you’re busy working.