Take your dog to work day – Friday 25 June

MEDIA RELEASE
15 June 2010

Take your dog to work day – Friday 25 June

The 11th annual international Take Your Dog to Work Day kicks off in tail wagging style on Friday 25th of June.

New Zealand’s leading pet care company Purina will be celebrating the day with a few treats for their four legged friends.

“We are big fans of having pets at the Purina office, and you can tell that they love being here,” says Shivaun Statham, a dog behaviour expert and pet care advisor for Purina: “We can personally testify to the calming influence they can have on our workplace every day.”

“Simply put, it’s hard to get wound up when there is a dog smiling up at you and wagging its tail,” she says.

Ms Statham recommends the following guidelines for creating a successful Take Your Dog to Work Day in your office:

• Firstly, make sure that your employees are comfortable with having Take Your Dog To Work Day and appoint someone to keep a record of all animals attending

• Any dog that comes to an office must be well-behaved, house-trained, desexed and up-to-date with vaccinations

• Dogs attending the office must be recently bathed and groomed, and be able to meet preset guidelines for acceptable behaviour

• Dogs’ feeding, walking and toileting schedule must be strictly attended to by their owners throughout the day

• Dogs should have a rug to lie on and toys on hand to occupy them, and loose office supplies should be kept out of reach of the dog

• At the beginning of the day, make sure that pets are introduced and familiarised with those who will be in their immediate surrounds, but don’t force anyone to interact with a dog if they don’t want to

• Ensure there is a ‘pet free zone’ for staff who may have allergies or fears of dogs

Ms Statham says that with care and consideration, a ‘TYDTWD’ can be an enjoyable and fun experience for all office workers.

“It is a well established fact that pets are beneficial for a person’s overall mental and physical wellbeing. Studies have shown that having pets around decreases the likelihood of depression and can provide protection against anxiety-related illnesses,” she says.

Ms Statham says owning a pet has also been shown to significantly lower human stress levels, help control blood pressure and even reduce the risk of a heart attack.

“All these benefits of pets are translatable to the workplace. Employers who allow dogs in the office for this one day at least, will be contributing to the health of their employees.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.takeyourdog.com.

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