As many parents know, leaving your child behind when you head to work in the morning is difficult. The kids might even kick and scream, triggering an internal struggle that leaves you riddled with guilt during your daily commute. I’ve found this experience is also rather common with dog owners – sans the kicking and screaming.
While it’s frowned upon to bring your child to work (in most cases), bringing your dog to work is becoming increasingly common. Not only does this alleviate separation anxiety for owner and dog, it also relieves stress, according to a 2012 Virginia Commonwealth University study.
Conducted by Randolph Barkert, researcher and Professor of Management, the survey found that average stress level scores fell about 11% among workers who brought their dogs to work, while increasing 70% for those who did not.
Sarah Schaff, Director of Community at San Francisco based start-up Imgur, an online image hosting service, brings her three-year old dog Chi Chi into the office every morning. “I got Chi Chi at a local shelter several months ago. It didn’t make sense for me to go back and forth from my house (Upper Haight) to the office (Downtown) to let her out. So I ended up taking her to the office on a whim.”
Schaff now loads Chi Chi (or Cheech) in a backpack every morning and heads to the office. Cheech’s typical work-day consists of visiting everyone’s desks to say hi, hovering around the lunch table for scraps, and snoozing in her dog house. Co-workers bring their dogs in on occasion, but Cheech is a mainstay every day. She has been dubbed the official Imgur office dog and has inspired fan art from many Imgur users.
According to the American Pet Products Association, 1.4 million people take their dogs to work every day, and plenty of Bay Area companies are part of the trend. Owen Thomas, Editor-in-Chief at ReadWrite, a Say Media Corporation, brings his dog Ramona into the office regularly. More often than not, she follows him around wherever he goes.
“Ramona adopted us in April 2010,” says Thomas. He goes on to say that his then VentureBeat colleagues were so curious about Ramona that he decided to bring her in one day. He adds that having dogs at work is a great way to meet officemates. “A lot of people come by to get a little Ramona time,” says Thomas. “Now everyone expects me to bring Ramona to meetings, having heard about her online!”
That’s right – Ramona, also known as the Love Terrier, has her own cult following fueled by social media. Curated by Thomas, Ramona has dedicated Twitter and Facebook accounts on which she shares her day-to-day happenings around the city.
“Ramona is a fluffy bundle of joy who just makes the world better,” adds Thomas. Whether she’s frolicking on Crissy Field or on the hunt to find the next yummy snack, it’s safe to say that Ramona is one of San Francisco’s most social-media famous pooches.
In my last Bay Woof article, “Sharing Is Caring at City Dog Share,” I confessed that I will go out of my way to say hi to random dogs in the city. Luckily many dogs stop by the office where I work and I get to greet them throughout the day.
My co-worker Ashley Breinlinger, Vice President of BOCA Communications, is the guardian of four-year-old Bella, a Miniature Schnauzer. “Bringing her to work is a huge perk,” says Breinlinger. Bella often keeps an eye out on the outside world, perched at her favorite spot – the ledge of the couch, sandwiched between several BOCA employees.
Breinlinger adds, “It’s great to have Bella pulling at the leash every morning, because she is so excited to see her second family.”
Schaff agrees, saying that having her pet by her side makes the work day go by faster and gives her peace of mind. “Chi Chi brings a little bit of the comfort of home to the office and is a great companion when I need to take a break from my computer in the afternoon.”
Despite the growing acceptance of dogs in the workplace, it’s still a rarity. Brelinger concludes, “It’s very unusual, and every single day I feel lucky that
I’m allowed to bring her in and that my village of colleagues is willing to raise her.”
Maybe it’s time to leave the guilty conscious and internal struggle at home when heading to work – just bring the pup along!
Aimee Rancer is a San Francisco transplant who appreciates a good smile, a cup of Morning Blend, and a French Bulldog. You can find her personal style blog The Local Transplant here: thelocaltransplant.com.
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Main article photo by: Aimee Rancer
