That's the top-rated comment at "How to create a pet-friendly office that everyone can tolerate/Here are some best practices for companies who want to welcome pets at the workplace" (WaPo).
Time to rethink that word "everyone." Unless... to quote another comment:
How to create a pet-friendly office that everyone can tolerate
Hmm, limit the type of pet to rocks?
From the article:
Setting expectations up front is key when it comes to creating new pet policies, experts said. This could include everything from explaining what behaviors will not be tolerated, like excessive barking or aggression, to rules around leashing and where pets can or can’t go — for example, should pets be allowed in the kitchen? Are there areas where people with allergies can work?
Yes, try "explaining" to dog owners what's not "excessive barking or aggression," and get ready to hear their explanation of what is and isn't "excessive" and what isn't actually "aggression." That huge dog leapt up and shoved a small woman in the chest? That's not aggression. He's a happy, happy people-lover. Not allowed in the kitchen? Well, where, really, does this "kitchen" begin? He was over by the table, the dining area... really, a work area, I was working there....
Imagine telling everyone with allergies they can relocate to the "areas where people with allergies can work." As if burdening those with medical conditions is okay — and allergens won't cross the line!
There are 117 comments at the link. I believe every single one is saying keep dogs out of the workplace.
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57 comments:
Fish and turtles don't seem to be much of a problem.
Still can't figure out what to do with those Covid dogs. Some people close to me have this problem. What, you don't want to dog sit? Er, no.
Sounds familiar. When I was a kid, smokers were everywhere, like in the booth next to you at the restaurant. Why is that their problem that you don't like smoke; get used to it.
Prof. Althouse, isn't there some arcane legal doctrine about stuff like this, you vs. your neighbors and such?
And stores, and Airbnbs, and everywhere else except your home! I am so fed up with the bullshit "assistance animal" fraud (I know, not the specific point of this post).
I'm a dog guy, through and through.
Keep your dog at home.
Also:
Keep your kid at home.
Keep your talk radio station or preferred music at home or inside earphones.
It may be addressed in the article (which I have not read) - but lifestyles have changed in little ways. My office is on a "please try to come in 1-3 days a week" schedule. I could not do so last week because I had no arrangements to look after our dog.
I'm a dog lover. But you really cannot allow dogs to come into the office. It's too much to ask of everyone else to have to deal with your dog, watch out for it, don't agitate it, annoy it, feed it, sneeze because of it. It's hard enough to not annoy your fellow workers, let alone their dog.
Unless...
Unless you own your own company and it is a smallish company with a small, well known, almost family-like crew and you check with everyone there to make sure it's OK. My wife used to own a company where they did allow this. But there were only 2 dogs allowed into the office on any one day. And the people with dogs who wanted to bring their pet in had to reserve their day to bring the dog, then had to follow a number of rules when the dog was there. And if there was any issue- ANY ISSUE- that dog was suspended from any further visits.
Our dog used to love going in when she could. And the people in the office loved having one or two dogs around to relieve human stress from time to time. Most dogs are good for that.
It might go a little something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4tU3ZRFoUI
How I long for the halcyon days of yore when excessive barking and aggression was confined to managers.
>>bringing furry friends to work can help with stress, promote socialization and bring joy.<<
I never worked in an office so maybe someone can help me out here: Where did this strange notion that it is OK to bring your freakin' pet to work come from? And when did it become the employers' responsibility to help with stress, promote socialization and, (what?) bring joy. I guess I'm old-school: Go to work, do your job, get a check every two weeks; take care of your own stress, socialization and joy.
I don't think the comments at WaPo are representative. Commercial landlords are trying pretty hard to fill the newish desire for pet friendly office space. If it wasn't in demand, they wouldn't be doing it.
As a general rule, I'm against the increasing tendency to bring all manner of distraction into the workplace, even though in the abstract I would like to be able to bring dogs to the office. And permitting or encouraging lots of other distractions while drawing the line at dogs smells like allowing the loudest complainers to dictate policy, which leads to a pathological society.
I love both cats and dogs. Neither belong in the wok place. What I find interesting is cat lovers don't lobby to bring cats to work.
It's 'OK to bring a dog to work' because company policy says it's OK.
It's not just random people bringing their dogs to work.
The job market is hot...go work somewhere else.
I'd rather have dogs there than kids...
As a dog lover I agree.
Other than chicks in bikinis, I can't think of a worse distraction.
Count me as a hard no to dogs in the workplace.
I had to deal with that once when I was in a tech firm back in the late 90s. The founder/CEO was a pet lover and was okay with dogs at the office, but the one time a woman brought her little yapper in, I just put my foot down and asked her to never do it again. She never did, and I was never labeled a dog hater so much as just a reasonable adult.
Democracy dies in dogness!
Just wait until one of these dogs leaves a great big steaming pile next to your desk.
My last job came with three dogs, two big and loud and one yapper. I lasted a year.
One of the worst parts about dogs in the workplace are the dog owners who walk around thinking they are so special for having a dog. They revel in the attention they, er, I mean the dog gets.
Can the push for employer funded pet daycare be far behind? Why do we discriminate against the mommies....er......chestfeeders who aren't parents to non-human people?
A few weeks ago, a new middle aged couple moved into one of the surrounding streets. I first noticed them while on a walk. They were each pushing baby strollers, and when they passed by, I noticed that each held a lap dog of some breed rather than children.
I’m with the pet rock commenter but could be persuaded to allow one of those tiny bamboo shoots in lieu of a rock.
Limit all pets allowed in the workplace to Labrador Retrievers 9 years of age and older. It takes that long for them not to be puppies.
Was the current generation even taught the word 'imposition'?
Limit all pets allowed in the workplace to Labrador Retrievers 9 years of age and older. It takes that long for them not to be puppies.
My boss brings his dogs to work. It's fine, they're good dogs (also fairly small) and mostly stay in his office. I don't mind because I like dogs. Also, they pay me well (with generous benefits) for what they require of me.
I was surprised that my tolerance for dogs was not one of the interview questions. At my former job, I had a coworker who grew up in India. She is deathly afraid of dogs, even tiny puppies that look like dust balls. When she was growing up, feral dogs ran in packs and could be rabid. I doubt her experience is unique nor limited to people from the same country.
Dog owners need to be more cognizant of the lived experiences of others and be aware of their privilege. (/s, because it sounds like the chiding the Woke gives, but it's also kind of true.)
Dogs were brought to work to oppress black people in downtown Birmingham back in the 1960s. Ipso facto bringing your dog to work is racist.
The article briefly touches on temperament of the pet and how the employer can handle it. However, when a dog or other animal bites an employee, a police report must be filed with citations being possibly issued the bitten employee may lawyer up and file civil cases against the pet owner and the employer over work place safety. I am a dog owner of a number of pugs over the years and I am wary of my dogs being aggressive with people they don’t know even though the various dogs I have owned have had gentle dispositions. I say it is not worth the potential legal and angry employees (on both sides of the issue) workplace “headache”.
"There are 117 comments at the link. I believe every single one is saying keep dogs out of the workplace."
How do you know it's a dog? Are you a veterinarian?
I made a spoof ad about "Bring Your Pet to Work Day" some years back, never thinking it would actually come to pass.
Clown World is here.
how do you 'decide' anything? A democratic vote? If one person doesn't like it?
As much I would love to have my dogs at work, it's just impractical.
Is this an overflow from the COVID work at home situation, and a (not so subtle) push to convince people to get back in the office?
I had a job for more than 25 years at a pet friendly office. There was a sick dog in the office when I interviewed so it wasn't a change in policy. Other than one spot of bother when I slapped a dog on the nose for piddling in my office and the owner objected to my abuse, things went pretty well. The offending animal did not seem that upset and he didn't do it again.
'Just wait until one of these dogs leaves a great big steaming pile next to your desk.'
Absolutely do not have a 'Bring Amber Heard to Work' day : )
If you really, really need to bring something living into work, bring in a fern. Jeez.
I'm 68 years old and have been retired for 3 years. I've never heard of a "pet-friendly" office until this morning. Color me astonished, but then again, not really.
Ha, I finally found a topic where I'm on all fours with the WAPO commenters.
Employers are desperate to get employees working in the office so I expect we'll see more efforts like this. How far will the employers go? Is there anything that will be off limits? Dogs today, kids tomorrow, elderly parents who need to be watched after that, eventually being in the office will be like working at home, maybe someone else's home but oh well, lol, thank you pandemic.
Masks! What are they good for? Mitigating the ingestion of irritants, if not actually pathogens.
Don't forget your goggles, your earmuffs to mitigate social contagion.
I used to bring my Australian Shepherd to the office. But only on Saturdays and Sundays when I was the only one there, and I was prepping for a jury trial the following Monday. He was my support dog for having to spend my weekend at the office.
Some of these buttheads will ask during their job interviews if the office is dog friendly.
I worked at a place where a blind guy had a seeing-eye dog. Very cute animal. They had to put a sign up to warn people not to try and pet the dog, or speak to it. Treat the animal like it was not there.
At one job I had, smoker office workers would walk through the manufacturing areas to the back doors to take a cigarette break. They did this frequently throughout the day. The factory workers had only three breaks to eat, socialize, and smoke. I worked as a product quality inspector on the floor. The frequent smoke breaks were noticed. I started joining in the smoker's breaks. I encouraged other floor workers to also join. After a few days, I was called to HR to address my frequent break habit. Long story short, smoking breaks stopped except for the three legally allowed breaks.
I see the same problem with dogs at work that must be watered and toileted. Except for authentic service animals, pets of any kind that deflect from job requirements and company purposes should be left at home. Unauthorized breaks enjoyed by some, should be enjoyed by all, or eliminated. Anyone who cannot abide by company policies, should not work for that company.
Leave your animals at home. That includes when going to Home Depot.
I was able to get my Doberman in on weekends because the guard desk was high and could not see a dog on heel (off leash, the only proper way to train heel), so I always looked unaccompanied.
Harsh truth: your crotch sniffing dog is not breathtaking. Keep it away from me, along with your spoiled children. Thanks.
"bringing furry friends to work can help with stress, promote socialization and bring joy."
What an infantile attitude. Your dog is not a "furry friend". It is an animal. You may love it, and that's fine, but your coworkers don't.
My policy would be: You may have a dog at the office if nobody knows it's there. One bark and it's gone, for good.
Straightforward stare and say "Your Homeowner's Insurance will cover it". Observe the results.
Alternative solution: Limit "Pets" to Tarantulas.
Rollo said with the very first comment: "Fish and turtles don't seem to be much of a problem."
OH! But you are so very wrong. Let me tell you about the time a co-worker brought in her turtle. That turtle went places - it would slowly march down the hallway, stopping at each and every office doorway along the way. There, it would simply stare at you with those judgy, turtle eyes as if to say: "You disgust me with your very existence." After a few minutes staring down one attorney, it would slowly march down the hall, and do the same thing at the very next office. Woe to the attorney or paralegal that left their door open. A few closed their doors - but that didn't stop the turtle. Patient as they are, it would wait at the closed door. THEN, when you just had to leave, you'd open the door and there was that turtle with the piercing stare AND ready to trip you up.
Once down the hall, it would stick its head in the corner, turtle butt to the employees - "you all disgust me so I'm just gonna stay right here and not look at you until my owner puts me back in my aquarium."
The owner of the firm got jealous of the attention the turtled garnered. Once we knew he was intimidated by a turtle, we never looked at him the same way again.
Never underestimate Turtle Trauma.
'What an infantile attitude. Your dog is not a "furry friend". It is an animal. You may love it, and that's fine, but your coworkers don't.'
In my experience, most dogs are better 'people' than almost all people are.
Dogs are too much trouble.
Don’t go looking for trouble. Cats are even worse. And don’t get me started on.cats. Dogs suck but cats are 10 times worse. Find a friend; be a friend. A human friend.
It was the gorillas that bothered me.
"In my experience, most dogs are better 'people' than almost all people are."
Not been my experience; and it's not because people are saints. But that doesn't matter. People I have to live with; but dogs? Why do I have to put up with your dog while I'm trying to get my job done?
'Find a friend; be a friend. A human friend.'
Except I've never been betrayed by a dog.
I've been betrayed by more than a few human 'friends.'
A variation on Joe Bar above: about 15 years ago I had a co-worker who in addition to his engineering skills, was a certified trainer of Seeing-Eye dogs; he worked out a deal with management to occasionally bring a dog-in-training (never more than one-at-a-time) to work occasionally as part of the training regimen. Usually the dog would be there 2-3 hours, maybe two days a week, and only in the tail end (pun intended) part of the training schedule. So it didn’t happen often; maybe three times a year. He was well known as a top notch trainer, and the dogs were splendidly behaved.
But the above is a totally different situation from people bringing their pet dogs to work. True service animals, OK; pets, absolutely not; emotional support animals, a firing offense.
Harsh truth: your crotch sniffing dog is not breathtaking. Keep it away from me,
We had a Rottweiler cross rescue, we got as a puppy. The pre exam by the vet said he would be 30-50 lbs. Turned into 125lbs
But the story is when are son brought a new girl (now wife of 13 years) friend by the house, to meet us. He failed to mentioned the dogs size, and his "friendly" nature. The girl is not a big fan of dogs. Upon meeting the dog, she was polite, then mortified, when he shoved his nose up her mid thigh length denim skirt.
He was a great beast. Loved kids. Little ones could use him like a jungle gym, and he just took it and never voiced any displeasure.
A place I used to work (city offices) allowed dogs in the office. One dude would bring his dog into meetings and allow him to wander. Another lady had her golden retriever penned up in her office and would occasionally let him walk around. Thankfully, both dogs were well behaved and quiet but I just didn't understand why anyone thought that was appropriate.
I went to an office meeting where this came up.
I said, "It only takes one," to ruin the office for everyone.
I like dogs. They don't belong at work.
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