For those of us with pets who work at Patch, every day is Take Your Dog (or Cat) to Work Day.
We are lucky enough to do a bulk of our work from home, meaning more time to spend with our dogs and cats. Our pets share our home offices with us, sometimes curling up near the computers on our desks and, other times, flipping our hands off the keyboards in an effort to get us to pay attention to them.
That's one reason we try to help our readers find their lost pets and run stories in hopes of finding forever homes for dogs and cats in local shelters.
So, did you take your dog to work on Friday? If so, upload a photo to share with us. We'd love to see it!
First celebrated in 1999, Pet Sitters International's Take Your Dog To Work Day was created to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs. This annual event asks pet lovers to celebrate the humane-canine bond and promote pet adoption by encouraging their employers to support TYDTW Day.
There's even a Take Your Dog to Work Day song!
Taking animals to work, or anywhere in public for that matter, is relatively common in a lot of European countries as well as Australia. It is good exercise for both owners and animals and it keeps stress at a manageable level. I understand that not everyone is able to enjoy the companionship of a pet (allergies, finance, desire, etc.), but this is no reason to attack those of us who love our animals. We all "have a life" and what we choose to do with it is our privilege.
Ella is correct in the lowering of stress. That's why they have therapy dogs. You can leave a cat for weeks and they could care less. Leave a dog for 15 minutes and he thrill like they haven't seen you in days. If we all acted that enthused to see someone we like this world might be a better place.