Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay) falls on Friday, June 23 this year and it’s a great opportunity to celebrate your pet — and to encourage co-workers who don’t have a four-legged companion to adopt! The holiday was created by Pet Sitters International (PSI) and first celebrated in 1999. Now, it’s an annual event that is always celebrated the Friday following Father’s Day. Here are some things you should keep in mind for this year’s TYDTWDay before outfitting Oreo with a bow tie and briefcase:
Make Sure Co-Workers Are on Board
The last thing you want to do is make a faux-paw by bringing your pup to work only to find out that your office is not OK with it. Not every office is as dog-friendly as Etsy, Google and Salesforce. Ensure that co-workers aren’t allergic or afraid of dogs — you want to bring your dog into a safe, friendly environment. Dogs can sense when people are uncomfortable and you don’t want to say furwell as the day is just beginning!
Don’t Bring a Misbehaved Pup
As much as we all believe our dogs can do no wrong, it’s a fact that some dogs are naturally more well-behaved than others. If you know your dog gets anxious or extremely hyper around others, think again before bringing him or her into an office environment. Just because it’s a day on the calendar doesn’t mean you have to participate!
Encourage Others to Adopt
The point of TYDTWDay is not only to encourage employers to experience the joys of pets in the workplace, but also to drive workers to support their local pet community. Use this day as an opportunity to drive awareness to pets that need adoption — talk to your boss or co-workers about doing a fundraiser in correlation with the day. PSI feels that through these types of events, non-pet owners are able to witness the special bond their co-workers have with their pets firsthand and will be encouraged to adopt a new best friend of their own.
Don’t have a dog? Wish you had an excuse to bring your cat to work? You’re in luck! PSI also accommodates cat lovers (and other pets) and those who cannot participate on TYDTWDay. The entire week leading up to the event, June 19-23, is Take Your Pet To Work Week™. Talk to your colleagues about participating and make sure the environment is safe for your pets to scurry around.