Your dog makes you work harder
Have you always felt guilty when you had to leave for work and your dog had to stay home alone? Have you always wanted to bring your beloved pet to work with you? According to the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), that would be a really good idea. When you bring your dog to work with you, it might actually be beneficial for your productivity, along with some other benefits.
Productivity
The DSPCA developed a program called ‘Pets at Work Scheme’ (PAWS, for short). And according to the DSPCA, PAWS has several benefits. Susanne McGovern, Corporate Relations Manager with DSPCA, told Morning Ireland: “There’s lots of research there to tell us that [having a dog in the workplace] does actually increase employee morale, socialisation, engagement and productivity.” Bigger companies like Google already have dogs in the workplace and according to research by Virginia Commonwealth University, having a dog around will reduce your stress levels. Marie-José Enders, a researcher at the Open University, interested in the relationship between animals an humans, told Insider: “It’s definitely good for the work atmosphere to have a dog in the office. Not only does your cortisol level drop when you stroke a dog; you also produce more of the hormone oxytocin, which makes you feel more relaxed and happy.”
Rules
If you want to bring your pet to work, there are some rules to follow. You can not just bring your dog to work without preparing him for it. And they have to fit a few criteria before your furry friend gets to come to the workplace. They have to be house trained and they have to be used to other dogs and other people. So it wouldn’t be a good idea to bring your brand new puppy. Another rule within the program is that the owner of the dog has to sign some contracts in which they vow to clean up their dog’s mess. “It’s not a thing of opening up the doors at the office and all the dogs run in on the first day, so it’s a little bit of a process.” McGovern explained on the morning show.
Pandemic
The program was set up because of all of the people who adopted pets during the pandemic. Now that people have to go back to work in their offices, some people might not be able to properly care for their pets anymore. On their social media the charity explained: “For the last 2 years we all turned to our pets for emotional support, companionship, someone to talk to, someone to help us through the long days and someone to walk with when family and friends couldn’t. Now that we are slowly returning to the work place you need to have a plan in place for your pet so that they are not left alone. Our pets are like family and they were there for us when we needed them, now it’s our turn to be there for them.”
Have you ever taken your dog with you to work? You might want to try it sometimes!
Also read: This is why you should never let your dog ride in the passenger seat