Can you or would you take your pet to work? We faced this situation today when there was an apartment building -wide fire alarm test from 10:AM-4:00 PM. I knew the sound of the alarms would drive my dogs crazy. So, my husband took them to work. They were relaxed and happy. Fortunately, my husband had that option available. What do others do?

I used to take my Cavalier to work on a daily basis, however my office building was sold and the new management company has prohibited all dogs.

There is a rumor going around that Angel is still being smuggled into my office.

When she is there, everyone is more productive and it really puts a smile on our faces. ^

I had a similar problem when I had to get Eddie out of the apartment while my place was fumigated. My boss told me under no circumstances was any "animal" allowed at my desk (even though I would keep Eddie in his carrier in the package room by my Concierge desk.)

Luckily one of the Cat sitting clients took Eddie in with no problem.

I see most FA's and other flight crews fawn over Cats and Dogs. They have that power over people.

At least we have "Take your Dogs to Work Day." But what about Cats?

Given my locale, animal-crazy PDX, the first thing that popped into mind is doggie day care. For cat owners, I've *heard* of but not yet investigated day boarding with one's vet.

Cool to one is cruel to another. Both dogs and cats are major allergens for many people; should your co-worker have to suffer through a day of severe allergies so your pet can be with you at work? Should a restaurant lose business because some folks like to bring in their dogs, who leave dander behind that makes the place unsafe for others?

I love cats, and we volunteer with a cat rescue group that re-habs feral cats and finds homes for them. But that doesn't mean I think people should be forced to be around them if they don't want to, or, like my son, have a life-threatening allergy to dogs.


Note: I do not apply this standard to trained companion animals, necessary for the safety of their owner - different situation entirely.

Well if Angel is an assistance dog, they can not prohibit her from coming.

CDTraveler... I see your point about the problems with pets in the workplace and I have edited out that one line.

I wish I could take my dog to work occasionally. She and I both would have better days I think.

My wife brings our Pug to work at least one Friday every month. One of her colleagues has a Boston Terrier and they play all day in the closed courtyard. Nobody minds, in fact, they love to have the dogs there.

We do doggie day care one day a week and have a dog walker that takes her for two hours in the middle of the day the days she has to stay at home

For 20 years I owned a marina in Florida. I had three dogs and two cats, and they came to the marina every day. Four of them were rescue animals.

One of the cats, named "Hobie Cat" greeted all the fisherman when they came into the dock. He would hop aboard and check out their catch. He learned which fishermen were consistant in their abilities, and soon didn't bother with the ones who never seemed to catch anything.

During a particularly noisy thunderstorm, one of the dogs tried to escape the noise and climbed up some steps to the attic. Part of the floor was unfinished, and he stepped there and fell through, landing on the desk of my secretary. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and she had a good sense of humor.

Hobie Cat was very adventurous, and one time decided to check out the UPS truck while the driver was making a delivery. The driver drove off with him, only to return a few minutes later when he discovered his felline passenger.

Our customers loved our animals, and often brought their dogs along. They all seemed to get along fine, and we never had any problems.

Love your pet anecdotes, Dorlee. Thanks for sharing.

My neighbor works from home and still uses doggie day care periodically.

At my work, when the company was founded there was a bit of a dog theme to it (name has since changed) and so the founder got an exemption in the lease agreement to bring his dog into the office (otherwise, animals are prohibited in the office park buildings). 9 years later, he has a new dog (Mack made it to something like 17) but that's the only animal officially allowed in the office. We've had a few other visitors (dogs, cats, and a rabbit) over the years, but we try to stick just to the one.

I sit at my desk. She lies under a table. There are a couple of bones and a ball. Sometimes we walk the halls just so she can greet her fans. Occasionally folks come to borrow her when they are feeling down. The benefit to my employers is that I can work long hours because I don't have to go home to walk her. The benefit to me is that I'm happier (do have to admit that just once [or maybe twice] I have curled up with her under that table on her dog bed . . .).

JayCey

I like dogs and adore cats.

At one office where there was no explicit policy on pets, folks regularly brought in both dogs and cats from time to time. When I shared an office with a guy whose cat was living with his wife several states away, I brought each of my cats in separately to play with him

The ones who had the most issues were those who brought their dogs (never seemed to be cat owners) every single day. One dog peed on the carpets. Another dog lunged at me so fiercely that its owner could barely hold onto its leash (and I wasn't even holding a cat at the time).

While I don't mind seeing pets in the office from time to time, it seems to me that there should be definite policies in effect. Occasional visits, emergency visits, but not the 24/7 that some folks were doing with non-support critters.

June 20 is take your dog to work day

http://www.newsweek.com/id/140488