Very Few Dogs Have Their Day at Work

It could have been a doggone hit, this idea to make Friday the first “Take Your Dog to Work Day.” But that’s not exactly the way it worked out.

Animal rights activists envisioned dogs strolling through the office with owners in tow, sparking friendly conversations and soothing frazzled workday nerves. And maybe, they thought, it would encourage the petless to visit their local animal shelters and rescue clubs and pick up a pooch of their own.

But the message, they conceded Friday, barely made it out of the doghouse.

“It sort of needed a longer leash, I guess,” said Sandra Power, a member of Pet Sitters International, which sponsored the event along with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “Next year will be better. People wanted to do it, they just didn’t know about it in time. And it takes a little planning.”

Perhaps. But according to officials at several of Orange County’s largest employers, it was just as well that they were unaware of the campaign, since they did not see a dog day afternoon going over well in their offices.

Among the possibilities that the event’s promoters didn’t envision, corporate types said, were allergies, dog-bite liabilities and other complications that make most workplaces incompatible with large numbers of canine visitors.

“About the only dog I hope to see around here is Pluto,” said Ray Gomez, a spokesman for Disneyland.

Supporters still contend that the event can succeed if employers are willing to cooperate. They stressed the therapeutic effect animals have on people, and that dogs at work are commonplace at large companies overseas.

The idea is slowly catching on in the United States, they said, with impressive results. At the North Carolina headquarters of the world’s largest china supplier, officials said employees who bring their dogs to work get the best reviews for customer service and fewest days missed.

“Dogs are great little companions,” said Bob Page, founder of the company, Replacements Ltd. “They really improve the quality of your life.”

Supporters have a list of guidelines they said can make the concept work, even at large companies with stringent rules, said Barbara Morrison, a public education officer for Orange County Animal Control. Besides the obvious requirements that the dog be housebroken, vaccinated and well-behaved, the owners must be responsible for cleaning up after the pet and controlling it at all times.

If the animal is a distraction to others in any way, Morrison said dog and owner should move to a different area in the office. Signs should be posted on the company’s entry doors so that people know there are animals inside, she said.

“Obviously, the whole thing is going to depend on what kind of office you work in,” Morrison said. “People have to be tolerant and willing to try something new. Accommodations have to be made. But if they get past that part, my belief is they’d see an amazing change in morale, attendance, attitude and work ethic.”

That was part of the plan for Jonathan Blitz, who owns a small exercise equipment company in Costa Mesa and decided to bring his 21-month-old white German shepherd to the office Friday. Aside from a brief confrontation with a surprised mail carrier, Ajax spent the day happily greeting customers and staying close to his owner, Blitz said.

“He usually stays home all day by himself, and I feel guilty about it,” he said. “Today it’s like I’m more relaxed. I’m not worried about staying here longer, either. He makes it fun.”

If Take Your Dog to Work Day gains interest, Blitz and other supporters said the possibilities are unlimited. Perhaps pet care will become a standard benefit for employees, like dental treatments and 401(k) plans, they said. A supplier for animal health products in San Diego, for example, already pays a portion of its employees’ annual veterinary bills.

“You never know,” Morrison said. “Animals have a powerful effect on us. They let us let our guards down and be real.”