BRING YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY
Cover Story
PAWSOME PARTNERS By Anita Jaynes
Friday 24th June is Bring Your Dog To Work Day . # BringYourDogToWorkDay
Established in 2014 by ethical pet product company HOWND ® , Bring Your Dog To Work Day is an annual nationwide event that raises money for charities dedicated to making a difference to the welfare of animals . Thousands of businesses and dog owners join in the viral fun in what has become the nation ’ s best day out ( or in ) for dogs . This year the day is raising funds for three charities , All Dogs Matter , Animals Asia and Surge Sanctuary . Individuals and businesses can donate to the ‘ day ’ if they wish .
Pandemic Pups
Anita and her dog Prince the Rough Collie
For more info : wwwbringyourdogtoworkday . co . uk
|
The Dogs Trust ’ s most recent survey revealed a massive boost in dog ownership during the pandemic . 3.2 million dogs joined families during lockdown , taking the UK dog population to 12.5 million .
The pandemic also saw a significant shift in the average age of dog owners , with a huge increase in first-time dog ownership in the UK . 48 per cent of ' pandemic pups ’ ( dogs
|
who were acquired under six months old since 1 March 2020 ) were bought by under 44s , and 18-24-year-olds were over six times more likely to buy a pup in the last two years than they were before the pandemic .
What does this mean for the workplace ? More people of working age have dogs and are keen to take them into the office . There is a rise in companies across the
|
UK introducing pet-friendly policies to encourage people to return to places of work , following the lead of progressive global giants such as Google , Apple and Amazon . Many of you may have seen the Amazon video that went viral introducing ' some of the cutest dogs at Amazon .' It shows reception desks stocked with dog treats and a ' doggie deck ' where dogs can play and be |
exercised during breaks . They even have dog-friendly water fountains . Are you reading this thinking the world ' s gone barking mad ? In fact , bringing a dog into work is known to have benefits .
Research by The Kennel Club shows that people believe there are many advantages to workplaces being dog friendly .
|
Kennel Club research shows that :
• 70 per cent of people say that dogs alleviate stress in the workplace
• 67 per cent of people say that dogs make the atmosphere more friendly
• 51 per cent of people say that dogs improve morale and job satisfaction
• 51 per cent of people say that dogs encourage employees to take breaks from the screen
• 45 per cent of people say that dogs make the company / organisation more attractive for job seekers with dogs
• 33 per cent of people say that dogs improve productivity
• 25 per cent of people say that dogs make the company / organisation more attractive for job seekers without a dog
Happy Tails
We spoke to several local firms embracing the bring your dog to work trend to find out their experiences and what it means to them .
Grace Farrimond , Young Blooms
" Having my dog Winston up at work with me is always fun ; the first thing he does getting out of the van at Hartley Farm is head straight for the butchers every day ! He knows the right place to go for treats . I think when you have a dog around your workspace it lowers stress massively ; dogs pick up on these sorts of things and Winston will generally come over for a fuss at just the right time . Having him also makes me stop for breaks as he ’ s a type of dog that needs lots of walking - he loves to go off in the lanes around Hartley farm and sniff out all the nice smells ! I ’ ve trained him to wear flowercrowns from when he was a puppy and he ’ s featured quite heavily on Young Blooms ’ Instagram channel ; it ' s certainly got me new business through doing this !”
Truespeed
Koda the Truespeed Black Labrador takes being top dog very seriously and embraces all the office activities . He said ," On Fridays at Truespeed we wear pink and I love to get in on the action , don ’ t I look smart !”
20 www . tbebathandsomerset . co . uk