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Canine Co-Worker: Take Your Dog to Work Day
Paul Daligan with his dog Harry during 'Take Your Dog to Work Day' at Mad Dog Advertising Agency. http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/06/27/2009-06-27_rovers_right_at_home.html#ixzz0K1nJ6kG5&D
New York Daily News
July 01, 2009
Ask any dog-loving New Yorker to describe his ideal work mate and you might be surprised to find he prefers one who has bad breath, sleeps on the job and demands frequent public displays of affection – to you.
“He’s my baby, and I love having him around,” said Manhattan hair stylist Deana Stroud of her 10-year-old Shih Tzu, Charlie, who shared his toys with clients yesterday at the Ruby hair salon on E. Sixth St.
“He makes people happy, and clients miss him when he’s not here,” she said.
Charlie was among hundreds of four-legged workers yesterday who commuted by subway, bus, bike, all fours and shoulder bags to offices around the city for the 10th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day.
Everyday is workday for India, a black Lab/Chow mix who bears the title “hair distributor” at the lifestyle e-zine Julieb.com. The 70-pound pooch spends her workdays there curled up in her own chair next to her chief collaborator Matt Milne, manager and controller, who says his co-workers feed off India’s good energy.
A feel-good environment is only one of many benefits to having dogs and other animals in the workplace, writes authors Liz Palika and Jennifer Fearing in their new book “Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces,” published by the Humane Society of the United States.
In the midst of tough times, employers can improve morale and support the human-animal bond, they say, by allowing companion animals in the workplace and encouraging more companies to adopt a dog-friendly policy.
In fact, working beside a slumbering dog ranks among one of the best perks for many of the newly unemployed New Yorkers who no longer have an office to go to.
Screenwriter and journalist Nina Dec says walking her Jack Russell terrier, Nigel, in Central Park helps clear her head so can work more efficiently from her upper West Side apartment.
“Spending time with him helps me creatively, spiritually and with my time management,” said Dec, who spent many years in corporate offices before striking out on her own.
In 1999, Pet-sitters International started Take Your Dog to Work Day to encourage more people to adopt needy animals. For a list of adoption events taking place this weekend, go to animalallinancenyc.org or visit the NYC Animal Care & Control Shelters (nycacc.org), where hundreds of cats and dogs are eagerly awaiting a new home.
