How to make a dog-friendly office
June 11, 2013 7:42 AM Subscribe
This was me. We still don't have a dog, but that previous thread mentioned something about bringing the dog into the office. What would be requirements of the office and myself to make this feasible and a safe and enjoyable situation for all involved? Do you work in a dog friendly office with advice to give?
This dog does not yet exist. This office sort of does not exist yet but I'm in a very interesting position where I could evaluate a future office space for this. I would not bring the dog in everyday, I'm thinking like twice a week just to save on dog walking and doggy daycare expenses and to be considerate. There are some other potential good points about the potential office but what else should I think about?
This may include things like: The dog's own temperment, my own expectations, physical space requirements, co-worker considerations, anything really! Let's say I don't have any restrictions at this point, I am just looking for a requirements list to evaluate if this is a possible strategy for my future dog-owning life.
How does a dog-friendly office work for you?
This dog does not yet exist. This office sort of does not exist yet but I'm in a very interesting position where I could evaluate a future office space for this. I would not bring the dog in everyday, I'm thinking like twice a week just to save on dog walking and doggy daycare expenses and to be considerate. There are some other potential good points about the potential office but what else should I think about?
This may include things like: The dog's own temperment, my own expectations, physical space requirements, co-worker considerations, anything really! Let's say I don't have any restrictions at this point, I am just looking for a requirements list to evaluate if this is a possible strategy for my future dog-owning life.
How does a dog-friendly office work for you?
It would be worth evaluating whether you are willing to limit your coworkers/employees to those who are not dog-allergic or dog-phobic. I work in an office that isn't explicitly dog-friendly, but where people do sometimes bring in their dogs for a day. I like dogs and find them adorable, but speaking as someone with dog allergies (and allergy-induced asthma), it's actually really annoying, and I wouldn't take a job with a dog-friendly office if I had any other options.
posted by pie ninja at 7:55 AM on June 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by pie ninja at 7:55 AM on June 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
Co-worker considerations include keeping the dog from peeing on or chewing on anything they're not supposed to --- furniture, carpeting, paperwork, etc., plus cleaning up after your own dog makes the inevitable dump on the floor. Trash cans are another hazard, for the dogs that like to dig in there for lovely smelly food wrappers. Control the dog's access: they may not be a good thing to have in some areas of the workplace, and/or some people may simply not want to have animals wandering around their office.
And, of course, please place employee health and safety above the joy of having your beloved pet sharing your office: some your coworkers may be allergic, and it's not reasonable to insist that a dog has more business in a business than the employees do. It's not just the actual dog that's the problem: the dog sheds and spreads dander wherever it goes.
(Don't get me wrong, I too love dogs and cats and other beasties, but being around one for much time causes heavy breathing followed by wheezing followed by gasping for any speck of air followed by fullblown asthma attacks and perhaps a hospital trip..... all because someone sneaks their dog in the office.)
posted by easily confused at 8:00 AM on June 11, 2013
And, of course, please place employee health and safety above the joy of having your beloved pet sharing your office: some your coworkers may be allergic, and it's not reasonable to insist that a dog has more business in a business than the employees do. It's not just the actual dog that's the problem: the dog sheds and spreads dander wherever it goes.
(Don't get me wrong, I too love dogs and cats and other beasties, but being around one for much time causes heavy breathing followed by wheezing followed by gasping for any speck of air followed by fullblown asthma attacks and perhaps a hospital trip..... all because someone sneaks their dog in the office.)
posted by easily confused at 8:00 AM on June 11, 2013
Really good quality air filters rated for pet dander and a pet hair vacuum to use on the carpets.
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 8:02 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 8:02 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Doors with eye level windows? Being able to see the person in the other room can be a distraction for both that person and the dog.
I would worry most about urine though.
posted by oceanjesse at 8:08 AM on June 11, 2013
I would worry most about urine though.
posted by oceanjesse at 8:08 AM on June 11, 2013
We have a dog friendly office, and it's largely fine.
Bear in mind, though, that other people's tolerance to your dog's misdemeanors is probably WAY lower than yours. You pick up your dog's shit on a regular basis and are probably immune to it but a dog peeing or crapping on the office floor is going to be a pretty serious offence to most potential coworkers.
Besides accidents, you need to be able to avoid overenthusiastic greetings (licking, hair on clothes) and office rampages.
If that turns out to be difficult then I would keep the dog out of the office altogether.
posted by emilyw at 8:10 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bear in mind, though, that other people's tolerance to your dog's misdemeanors is probably WAY lower than yours. You pick up your dog's shit on a regular basis and are probably immune to it but a dog peeing or crapping on the office floor is going to be a pretty serious offence to most potential coworkers.
Besides accidents, you need to be able to avoid overenthusiastic greetings (licking, hair on clothes) and office rampages.
If that turns out to be difficult then I would keep the dog out of the office altogether.
posted by emilyw at 8:10 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Key to having a dog-friendly office is making sure you've got an office-friendly dog. I've worked in two dog-friendly offices but would not have considered bringing in either my current dog - who is basically a tornado in a pelt - or my first dog, who wasn't super wild about busy, crowded situations. As was suggested in your previous thread, adopting an older dog from a shelter - ideally, one which works to evaluate individual dogs so they're more of a known quantity - would be a great idea here. Key words you should be looking for in an office-friendly dog are things like "laid back," "quiet," and "couch potato."
Beyond that, consideration towards your fellow co-workers is going to be key. In the more professional of the two dog-friendly offices I've worked in, dog owners would send out an email the day before just to give folks a heads-up, and would keep the dog by them at all times - ideally, in their own office or private cubicle - so people who were uncomfortable with dogs didn't get an unpleasant surprise. Don't let your dog wander by him/herself, and keep them well-bathed and brushed.
Finally, in both dog-friendly offices I've experienced, the dog's owner ended up using most of their breaks to take their dog out for potty trips or walks to keep them from getting antsy, so be aware of how this may limit your ability to, say, run errands or go have lunch with coworkers on your dog days; similarly, having their dog with them meant the owners generally couldn't go right from work to any sort of after-hours meetup with coworkers (unless there was a dog-friendly bar nearby). Having said that, the owners loved having their buddy with them, it did not seem to disrupt the workplace, and a lot of people really looked forward to seeing the dogs around, so if your workplace is amenable to it I hope you go for it!
posted by DingoMutt at 8:10 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Beyond that, consideration towards your fellow co-workers is going to be key. In the more professional of the two dog-friendly offices I've worked in, dog owners would send out an email the day before just to give folks a heads-up, and would keep the dog by them at all times - ideally, in their own office or private cubicle - so people who were uncomfortable with dogs didn't get an unpleasant surprise. Don't let your dog wander by him/herself, and keep them well-bathed and brushed.
Finally, in both dog-friendly offices I've experienced, the dog's owner ended up using most of their breaks to take their dog out for potty trips or walks to keep them from getting antsy, so be aware of how this may limit your ability to, say, run errands or go have lunch with coworkers on your dog days; similarly, having their dog with them meant the owners generally couldn't go right from work to any sort of after-hours meetup with coworkers (unless there was a dog-friendly bar nearby). Having said that, the owners loved having their buddy with them, it did not seem to disrupt the workplace, and a lot of people really looked forward to seeing the dogs around, so if your workplace is amenable to it I hope you go for it!
posted by DingoMutt at 8:10 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Also - be aware of how your dog may act in the office and deals with new stimuli. We had a boxer who would lounge in her dog bed, and stay with her owner the entire day. There was a german shepard and a purse dog (don't remember the breed) who were banned because they couldn't handle the office environment (running around/barking/whining). Also - you should come up with requirements for doggie behavior in the office, and what will get a dog banned. This way it's pretty clear cut what the expectations are for what doggie behavior is acceptable, and what doggie behavior is not.
Our Office list was -
has to be completely, 100% house broken - any accidents was a ban.
No barking allowed in the office - excessive barking was a ban
Dogs are to be with their owners/owner's project/owner's proxy area at all times. Dogs are not to be unsupervised roaming the halls.
Good luck with your doggie office - I always loved having pets around. It can be very calming.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 8:11 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Our Office list was -
has to be completely, 100% house broken - any accidents was a ban.
No barking allowed in the office - excessive barking was a ban
Dogs are to be with their owners/owner's project/owner's proxy area at all times. Dogs are not to be unsupervised roaming the halls.
Good luck with your doggie office - I always loved having pets around. It can be very calming.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 8:11 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: When I worked in a Dean of Students department at a large university, one set of our offices was designated "dog-friendly" when one of the students who worked there became a volunteer with a guide dog agency, handling the pups during their socialization-not-training phase, and asked for permission to bring the dog to work at school. A few employees took advantage of the designation as well.
First, we made sure that no employees in the office and no student who regularly used the facilities where the set of offices was located had a major issue with dogs--anxiety or allergy. Then we established rules about dog/owner behavior and put someone in charge of enforcing them. Two infractions and that particular dog was no longer welcome. Multiple infractions with more than one dog, that owner was no longer allowed to bring a dog in. From what I remember our rules included:
1. No unattended dogs, ever. You go to the bathroom? Someone is in charge of keeping the dog from going off to look for you or crying because you're gone or the dog goes with you. Your dog gets up and wanders off, and doesn't stop when you say "Stop", you get up from your desk and you regain control of the dog. If your office has a door and you can close the dog in while you're gone, fine, but put a note on the door "Dog inside" and be damn sure he doesn't bark, cry or scratch at the door the whole time you're gone.
2. Minimum age requirement for dogs. Happy very young puppies are the best; they are too disruptive for the office. The student with the guide dogs got permission to break this rule; for everyone else, the minimum dog age requirement was two years old.
3. You absolutely clean up after the dog when he relieves himself outside and you do not put the refuse in your office waste bin. We set up a trash bin outside for that. It's also your responsibility to have the necessary tools for cleaning up after him if he has an accident indoors or vomits. It's not the night-time cleaning crews job. Know how to contact facilities management for assistance if necessary.
4. Other employees must ask the owner's permission before approaching/playing with the dog. Not really the owner's/dog's problem, but an important rule. Make sure people know to say "Hey, is it okay if I pet your dog?" before they do.
5. Dogs in common areas (break rooms, meeting rooms, hallways, elevators) must be leashed; dogs in offices can be unleashed. I don't know how this would work in a cubefarm.
6. Dog's vaccinations must be up to date and employees must have an emergency vet number by their phone.
7. Owner must have a pre-arranged dog sitter in the unlikely event the employee was unexpectedly called upon to attend a meeting or something without time to take the dog home. Otherwise, employees were expected to be responsible adults who did not bring their dogs to work during deadlines, crunch times or when parent tours were happening.
Other considerations: is there sufficient space around your desk for the dog to lie comfortably without getting his tail run over by your chair? Is there reasonable access to somewhere to walk him? Are there elevator restrictions in your building? How much does he bark? How is the dog with strangers? Can he lie quietly, even with all those exciting people and smells? Are you sufficiently firm with his training that he will obey you in the face of all those people and smells?
Take your dog to the park, see how he is with distractions and strangers and unusual environments before taking him to work. Try taking him to an outdoor cafe. Take him to the office on the weekend, so he can explore it before you take him on a weekday.
I adore dogs. I want all of them. Unfortunately, many people don't like dogs at all or merely tolerate them. For the sake of all the world's dogs, you should assess your dog's workplace behavior from the perspective of people who don't love dogs, not from the perspective of people who do.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:20 AM on June 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
First, we made sure that no employees in the office and no student who regularly used the facilities where the set of offices was located had a major issue with dogs--anxiety or allergy. Then we established rules about dog/owner behavior and put someone in charge of enforcing them. Two infractions and that particular dog was no longer welcome. Multiple infractions with more than one dog, that owner was no longer allowed to bring a dog in. From what I remember our rules included:
1. No unattended dogs, ever. You go to the bathroom? Someone is in charge of keeping the dog from going off to look for you or crying because you're gone or the dog goes with you. Your dog gets up and wanders off, and doesn't stop when you say "Stop", you get up from your desk and you regain control of the dog. If your office has a door and you can close the dog in while you're gone, fine, but put a note on the door "Dog inside" and be damn sure he doesn't bark, cry or scratch at the door the whole time you're gone.
2. Minimum age requirement for dogs. Happy very young puppies are the best; they are too disruptive for the office. The student with the guide dogs got permission to break this rule; for everyone else, the minimum dog age requirement was two years old.
3. You absolutely clean up after the dog when he relieves himself outside and you do not put the refuse in your office waste bin. We set up a trash bin outside for that. It's also your responsibility to have the necessary tools for cleaning up after him if he has an accident indoors or vomits. It's not the night-time cleaning crews job. Know how to contact facilities management for assistance if necessary.
4. Other employees must ask the owner's permission before approaching/playing with the dog. Not really the owner's/dog's problem, but an important rule. Make sure people know to say "Hey, is it okay if I pet your dog?" before they do.
5. Dogs in common areas (break rooms, meeting rooms, hallways, elevators) must be leashed; dogs in offices can be unleashed. I don't know how this would work in a cubefarm.
6. Dog's vaccinations must be up to date and employees must have an emergency vet number by their phone.
7. Owner must have a pre-arranged dog sitter in the unlikely event the employee was unexpectedly called upon to attend a meeting or something without time to take the dog home. Otherwise, employees were expected to be responsible adults who did not bring their dogs to work during deadlines, crunch times or when parent tours were happening.
Other considerations: is there sufficient space around your desk for the dog to lie comfortably without getting his tail run over by your chair? Is there reasonable access to somewhere to walk him? Are there elevator restrictions in your building? How much does he bark? How is the dog with strangers? Can he lie quietly, even with all those exciting people and smells? Are you sufficiently firm with his training that he will obey you in the face of all those people and smells?
Take your dog to the park, see how he is with distractions and strangers and unusual environments before taking him to work. Try taking him to an outdoor cafe. Take him to the office on the weekend, so he can explore it before you take him on a weekday.
I adore dogs. I want all of them. Unfortunately, many people don't like dogs at all or merely tolerate them. For the sake of all the world's dogs, you should assess your dog's workplace behavior from the perspective of people who don't love dogs, not from the perspective of people who do.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:20 AM on June 11, 2013 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Absolutely first step is to have a genuinely anonymous survey for coworkers to be able to answer honestly. If even one person has a hint of, "I'd prefer to not have a dog here," then it needs to be respected. No dogs.
And if the office goes ahead with allowing dogs and all the above-mentioned protocols are in place, the one item I'd add is that the dog privilege can be revoked at any time, even if the dog is perfectly behaved.
What I mean by that is say people have said in the survey they're okay with dogs, but as time passes, someone realizes they no longer want a dog in the office. Everyone has to be allowed the right to freely and without fear of sniping, office gossip or retribution to say they no longer want dogs.
posted by kinetic at 8:35 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
And if the office goes ahead with allowing dogs and all the above-mentioned protocols are in place, the one item I'd add is that the dog privilege can be revoked at any time, even if the dog is perfectly behaved.
What I mean by that is say people have said in the survey they're okay with dogs, but as time passes, someone realizes they no longer want a dog in the office. Everyone has to be allowed the right to freely and without fear of sniping, office gossip or retribution to say they no longer want dogs.
posted by kinetic at 8:35 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I had a previous workplace that was dog friendly. We had some awesome dogs (although not so awesome that time one crapped on my floor. Please take your dog out regularly.)
Eventually a new person was hired who was allergic and the dog-bringers had to stop bringing their dogs. Rightfully so, but I'm sure it was a hassle/expense for them to arrange dog-sitters or doggie daycare or whatever they did.
Which is to say this can work out great, but your decision to get or not get a dog should not be dependent on being able to take the dog to work, unless you are self-employed and get to have absolute control over your workplace. You need a backup plan if your dog-friendly workplace becomes dog-unfriendly after a while.
posted by Stacey at 8:44 AM on June 11, 2013
Eventually a new person was hired who was allergic and the dog-bringers had to stop bringing their dogs. Rightfully so, but I'm sure it was a hassle/expense for them to arrange dog-sitters or doggie daycare or whatever they did.
Which is to say this can work out great, but your decision to get or not get a dog should not be dependent on being able to take the dog to work, unless you are self-employed and get to have absolute control over your workplace. You need a backup plan if your dog-friendly workplace becomes dog-unfriendly after a while.
posted by Stacey at 8:44 AM on June 11, 2013
Best answer: Since it has been mentioned yet, you should have an explicit policy about how to handle the dog destroying someone's property.
posted by florencetnoa at 8:54 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by florencetnoa at 8:54 AM on June 11, 2013
The office should also know what type of legal liability they have and insurance coverage they need (or other important things) in case a dog bites or otherwise injures a coworker.
posted by florencetnoa at 10:06 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by florencetnoa at 10:06 AM on June 11, 2013
So, would this be an office that clients would come into? (Or other people that may not always be in the office?) I know you said you don't have one yet, but some things to consider.
1) As mentioned above, allergies. Some people are severely allergic to animal dander. You may want to put a sign on the office door about the dog, and if you have a meeting with someone who is allergic, you can schedule it elsewhere.
Same if you were to schedule a meeting with someone via email/phone, you should let them know.
2) Shedding: When my current job had an office, my boss had a dog that stayed in there. It was okay in an office temperament wise, but he liked to rub up on you and leave a lot of hair. (He was a BIG dog too.) I personally hate pet hair. I'm not allergic or anything, but getting someone else's dog hair on you isn't fun and could potentially annoy coworkers or others who come to your office.
Therefore you may wan to consider a dog that doesn't shed, or sheds less.
3) Cleanliness: This doesn't just have to do with keeping your office free of pet pee or loads of hairballs, but how the dog actually smells. Try to find a breed that doesn't smell bad. Some dog breeds can get really smelly. My boss' dog was like this. So I was stuck in a small office with my boss and a stinky dog that would rub up on you, leaving hair and smell. And if you tried to pet him the smell would get on your hands too! (Not to mention making the office smell like dog.)
Speaking of smells, some dog breeds fart more than others. I'm not sure if you ever smelled a dog fart, but it can be absolutely horrible. It may be something to consider if you are working close to others in a cubicle or shared space setting.
4) Personally, I prefer a dog-free work environment. If I were you, I would take your eventual coworkers very seriously and ask them in a way that doesn't sound like "I'm getting a dog for in here, that's okay right?" You should really ask about all the aspects of having a dog, and make sure it's a safe space for them to tell you "No, I don't want a dog here."
posted by Crystalinne at 10:06 AM on June 11, 2013
1) As mentioned above, allergies. Some people are severely allergic to animal dander. You may want to put a sign on the office door about the dog, and if you have a meeting with someone who is allergic, you can schedule it elsewhere.
Same if you were to schedule a meeting with someone via email/phone, you should let them know.
2) Shedding: When my current job had an office, my boss had a dog that stayed in there. It was okay in an office temperament wise, but he liked to rub up on you and leave a lot of hair. (He was a BIG dog too.) I personally hate pet hair. I'm not allergic or anything, but getting someone else's dog hair on you isn't fun and could potentially annoy coworkers or others who come to your office.
Therefore you may wan to consider a dog that doesn't shed, or sheds less.
3) Cleanliness: This doesn't just have to do with keeping your office free of pet pee or loads of hairballs, but how the dog actually smells. Try to find a breed that doesn't smell bad. Some dog breeds can get really smelly. My boss' dog was like this. So I was stuck in a small office with my boss and a stinky dog that would rub up on you, leaving hair and smell. And if you tried to pet him the smell would get on your hands too! (Not to mention making the office smell like dog.)
Speaking of smells, some dog breeds fart more than others. I'm not sure if you ever smelled a dog fart, but it can be absolutely horrible. It may be something to consider if you are working close to others in a cubicle or shared space setting.
4) Personally, I prefer a dog-free work environment. If I were you, I would take your eventual coworkers very seriously and ask them in a way that doesn't sound like "I'm getting a dog for in here, that's okay right?" You should really ask about all the aspects of having a dog, and make sure it's a safe space for them to tell you "No, I don't want a dog here."
posted by Crystalinne at 10:06 AM on June 11, 2013
I've worked with dogs in the office, weirdly, at my last four jobs (this one included). I'm a cat person. I do not like to be licked, jumped on, to have my trash gone through or to have to police my trash, or otherwise to have unwanted interactions with dogs. I've generally enjoyed Office Dogs.
Job 1's dogs were great. Expected to be well-trained and to behave themselves properly, and in general they did. When the one dog got a little senile no one minded much b/c by then we all loved him. Otherwise they minded their business, were friendly, and they were safe. There was ONE incident where someone broke the "ask to pet the dog" rule but we approached this as a work community, not as just the owner's responsibility. That might be something that was unique to that particular office.
Job 2 had just one dog, who slept all the time.
Ditto Job 3.
Job 4 features an array of dogs who make me wish fervently for Job 1's dogs all the time. Dog 1 is flatulent and ill-behaved (begging); Dogs 2 & 3 run wild and go through trash; Dog 4 appears to be on speed, licks incessantly, and has apparently peed on some people.
Aim for Job 1 here. Job 4 is really trying my patience for working with dogs.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:07 AM on June 11, 2013
Job 1's dogs were great. Expected to be well-trained and to behave themselves properly, and in general they did. When the one dog got a little senile no one minded much b/c by then we all loved him. Otherwise they minded their business, were friendly, and they were safe. There was ONE incident where someone broke the "ask to pet the dog" rule but we approached this as a work community, not as just the owner's responsibility. That might be something that was unique to that particular office.
Job 2 had just one dog, who slept all the time.
Ditto Job 3.
Job 4 features an array of dogs who make me wish fervently for Job 1's dogs all the time. Dog 1 is flatulent and ill-behaved (begging); Dogs 2 & 3 run wild and go through trash; Dog 4 appears to be on speed, licks incessantly, and has apparently peed on some people.
Aim for Job 1 here. Job 4 is really trying my patience for working with dogs.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:07 AM on June 11, 2013
It's really important to get to know your dog well before bringing them to the office. When we first got our Corgi, she has been my fiance's family dog for 9 years but neither of us knew her day-to-day super well. She is a great, mellow, friendly, loveable dog, totally housebroken, so he brought her to work. What we didn't realize was that as a herding dog, she gets very anxious if she thinks she has "lost" her herd. Several times he walked out of his office to go to a meeting or another office or whatever, and she freaked out and peed. After that happening twice he stopped bringing her in. Looking back, had we understood her better, we would have known that she has this quirk. She is totally fine if you crate or confine her, which indicates "we are leaving now and you are in a safe place." He would have put up a doggy door (his office had a doorway with no door) or gotten her a crate, and made sure to crate or gate her when he walked out.
posted by radioamy at 10:18 AM on June 11, 2013
posted by radioamy at 10:18 AM on June 11, 2013
This office sort of does not exist yet but I'm in a very interesting position where I could evaluate a future office space for this.
Is this a situation where you are self-employed, leasing a separate space for yourself, or where you will be working with others? If you're working with others, will everyone/anyone be allowed to bring their dogs? If not, your co-workers may be resentful. (YMMV on whether this matters.)
I would not bring the dog in everyday, I'm thinking like twice a week
If possible, when you are crafting the guidelines I would err on the side of eventually bringing your dog in all the time.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:21 AM on June 11, 2013
Is this a situation where you are self-employed, leasing a separate space for yourself, or where you will be working with others? If you're working with others, will everyone/anyone be allowed to bring their dogs? If not, your co-workers may be resentful. (YMMV on whether this matters.)
I would not bring the dog in everyday, I'm thinking like twice a week
If possible, when you are crafting the guidelines I would err on the side of eventually bringing your dog in all the time.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:21 AM on June 11, 2013
I work in a place that during the school year often has a boxer dog at the premises (she is owned by the owner of the business and we are proxy doggie day care.)
If you have customers or clients that come into the office be aware that some people have phobias of even small dogs. Encountering a dog is a big negative deal to these people.
Also, some dogs do pick up fleas, and those fleas can ride to work. Not cool.
Finally, making sure the dog does not get in the way or inconvenience others trying to work. More than once I have almost tripped or fallen over the dog as she tends to like to lay in narrow passageways we have to traverse. Once she started to stand as I was stepping over her and as I am short and she is big that was almost a disaster.
Please know that although many people do like dogs, there are some of us who are neutral or negative towards them. I enjoy that particular dog when she is NOT in the workplace but at work she is a big pain in the butt. Not to mention a distraction even at best.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:24 AM on June 11, 2013
If you have customers or clients that come into the office be aware that some people have phobias of even small dogs. Encountering a dog is a big negative deal to these people.
Also, some dogs do pick up fleas, and those fleas can ride to work. Not cool.
Finally, making sure the dog does not get in the way or inconvenience others trying to work. More than once I have almost tripped or fallen over the dog as she tends to like to lay in narrow passageways we have to traverse. Once she started to stand as I was stepping over her and as I am short and she is big that was almost a disaster.
Please know that although many people do like dogs, there are some of us who are neutral or negative towards them. I enjoy that particular dog when she is NOT in the workplace but at work she is a big pain in the butt. Not to mention a distraction even at best.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:24 AM on June 11, 2013
The Bark magazine had an article a few years back with some suggestions for implementing a dog-friendly workplace; most of these have already been covered here but you may find one or two additional tips that are helpful. The suggestion to have a 'dog free zone,' in particular, seems like a good idea for any dog averse or allergic folks (assuming they are otherwise okay with dogs being elsewhere in the office). There are also a few studies referenced in the article that apparently support the idea that dogs in the workplace can result in a net positive; I've not chased down those studies so I can't vouch for their soundness (and coming from a dog-people magazine, they may be, er, just a wee bit biased), but if you'll need to run your dog friendly ideas past your higher-ups these studies might provide useful support.
Plus, The Bark is delightful; every issue has a two-page spread of smiling dogs - SMILING DOGS! I'm pretty sure it is physically impossible to look at those quietly ... WOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE
posted by DingoMutt at 11:47 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Plus, The Bark is delightful; every issue has a two-page spread of smiling dogs - SMILING DOGS! I'm pretty sure it is physically impossible to look at those quietly ... WOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE
posted by DingoMutt at 11:47 AM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I worked for five years in a pet-friendly office, and it was great. (Pets, while I was there, included mice, dogs ranging in size from about six pounds to a full-grown St. Bernard, hamsters, many snakes, a couple of bunnies...) Puppies were ok; elderly dogs who had accidents were ok; dogs with separation anxiety were ok... It was really remarkably inclusive.
The only big, stated rules were two: clean up after your pet, every time, everywhere--shit in the driveway, clean it up; accident in the office, clean it up, and animals don't get to free range.
In practice, this is how it worked:
Everyone's cube or office was large enough to sequester an animal in. People who didn't have doors bought baby gates. Everyone with larger dogs kept leads over their doorknobs. People with smaller dogs differed--some of them were always on leads, some never were, and some were pampered babies who got carried everywhere. If you had a larger dog, it was on you to keep it away from the other animals.
Some animal noise was expected and ok. We didn't do a lot of phone work, so the occasional dog barking was no big deal. That said, this is obviously something that works much better with relatively calm animals.
The only animals who got to come were the ones who were friendly to people. This wasn't explicitly stated, but many of us had one dog who just didn't cope well with new environments/other dogs/whatever, and those dogs stayed home.
Potential hires were told up front, before their interview, that it was a pet-friendly office, and that if that was a problem, it probably also wasn't the job for them. At my interview, I met a 21-foot anaconda and a Pitbull.
If people went to lunch or whatever, the dogs were confined to the person's office, or left with a friend. In the event that something catastrophic happened while the person was out of office, those people were responsible for getting the dogs out. (This happened twice--once a gas leak, once something that I can't recall, other than that the guy whose dog I was watching didn't answer his phone and took the world's longest lunch break.)
We routinely had dogs in meetings, etc--when I had meetings in the conference room, my dog would often sit on the chair next to me. (When I wasn't in my office, he'd keep my chair warm.) Which is to say that animals were allowed anywhere that people were (including, for example, bathrooms, conference rooms, and lunch rooms) but it was expected that they'd be either restrained or staying right with their person.
Ten minute breaks (or whatever) to play ball with the dogs, to coo at someone else's dog, to walk around the building with the dog, were all fine. If you had a puppy who was housetraining and had to take it out for five minutes every hour, well, whatever. The general feeling was that people were more productive if they were allowed to get up and do their own thing from time to time, and the dogs were part of that.
In the five years I was there, we never had an issue with a dog injuring anyone, destroying anything, or otherwise being anything other than a delight. On average, there were probably anywhere from three to eight dogs in the building every day, and on at least a few occasions, significantly more than that. (And a bunch of snakes, etc, but they're not so relevant here.)
The above is an example of a very casual, laid-back, pet-friendly office. It's definitely not perfect for every situation, but it's an example of how the workplace culture can form a pretty decent set of guidelines for this sort of thing. When I started working there, I expected the animals to be a huge distraction--I was surprised by how much of a distraction they weren't, and how often they sort of...served as a calming influence, I guess? That job wasn't without its issues, but the animal-related office culture was definitely one of its strong points.
posted by MeghanC at 12:53 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
The only big, stated rules were two: clean up after your pet, every time, everywhere--shit in the driveway, clean it up; accident in the office, clean it up, and animals don't get to free range.
In practice, this is how it worked:
Everyone's cube or office was large enough to sequester an animal in. People who didn't have doors bought baby gates. Everyone with larger dogs kept leads over their doorknobs. People with smaller dogs differed--some of them were always on leads, some never were, and some were pampered babies who got carried everywhere. If you had a larger dog, it was on you to keep it away from the other animals.
Some animal noise was expected and ok. We didn't do a lot of phone work, so the occasional dog barking was no big deal. That said, this is obviously something that works much better with relatively calm animals.
The only animals who got to come were the ones who were friendly to people. This wasn't explicitly stated, but many of us had one dog who just didn't cope well with new environments/other dogs/whatever, and those dogs stayed home.
Potential hires were told up front, before their interview, that it was a pet-friendly office, and that if that was a problem, it probably also wasn't the job for them. At my interview, I met a 21-foot anaconda and a Pitbull.
If people went to lunch or whatever, the dogs were confined to the person's office, or left with a friend. In the event that something catastrophic happened while the person was out of office, those people were responsible for getting the dogs out. (This happened twice--once a gas leak, once something that I can't recall, other than that the guy whose dog I was watching didn't answer his phone and took the world's longest lunch break.)
We routinely had dogs in meetings, etc--when I had meetings in the conference room, my dog would often sit on the chair next to me. (When I wasn't in my office, he'd keep my chair warm.) Which is to say that animals were allowed anywhere that people were (including, for example, bathrooms, conference rooms, and lunch rooms) but it was expected that they'd be either restrained or staying right with their person.
Ten minute breaks (or whatever) to play ball with the dogs, to coo at someone else's dog, to walk around the building with the dog, were all fine. If you had a puppy who was housetraining and had to take it out for five minutes every hour, well, whatever. The general feeling was that people were more productive if they were allowed to get up and do their own thing from time to time, and the dogs were part of that.
In the five years I was there, we never had an issue with a dog injuring anyone, destroying anything, or otherwise being anything other than a delight. On average, there were probably anywhere from three to eight dogs in the building every day, and on at least a few occasions, significantly more than that. (And a bunch of snakes, etc, but they're not so relevant here.)
The above is an example of a very casual, laid-back, pet-friendly office. It's definitely not perfect for every situation, but it's an example of how the workplace culture can form a pretty decent set of guidelines for this sort of thing. When I started working there, I expected the animals to be a huge distraction--I was surprised by how much of a distraction they weren't, and how often they sort of...served as a calming influence, I guess? That job wasn't without its issues, but the animal-related office culture was definitely one of its strong points.
posted by MeghanC at 12:53 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
This might be straying a bit too far afield, but if it turns out the dog-friendly office space doesn't come to pass, would it be possible for you or your partner to work from home 1-2 days a week? I'm doing so full-time right now, which makes for the ultimate dog(and pajama)-friendly workplace, and based on the occasional "woofs" I hear on conference calls, a lot of my coworkers are doing the same.
posted by DingoMutt at 1:16 PM on June 11, 2013
posted by DingoMutt at 1:16 PM on June 11, 2013
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posted by corvine at 7:49 AM on June 11, 2013