9 Benefits of Taking Your Dog to Work

There are lots of great reasons to participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day (mark your calendars! It's Friday, June 23). Taking down the "No Pets Allowed" sign and having an office where dogs are welcomed can benefit everyone. These nine reasons might just be enough to convince your boss.

1. EASY ICEBREAKERS

Coworkers, bosses, vendors, and clients in your office are not going to be able to resist saying hello to your canine co-worker, which means they will end up communicating with you too. Dogs help people loosen up, feel friendlier, and they create an easy way to initially interact with someone who might have been difficult to introduce yourself to otherwise.

2. STRESS REDUCTION

A study in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management found that workers who brought their pets to work had stress levels that decreased through the day, while workers without pets had stress levels that ratcheted up throughout the day. Stress relief created through wet kisses and furry hugs sounds like a much better option than trekking to the vending machine again.

3. BROWNIE POINTS FOR WORKING LONGER

Want to impress your boss? Bring your dog to work and you'll likely find you will (happily!) stay longer and work more, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Association. Because your pet is with you, you won't feel pressured to hurry home to walk or feed it, and you will feel happier and more content while you are at the office.

4. FLOWING CREATIVITY

According to the same survey, having your canine pal along makes people feel more creative at work. Presumably, having a friendly and supportive buddy nearby—one who has already lowered your stress levels so that you can fully concentrate—can help you focus and tap into your inner genius so you can come up with exactly the best solution or idea for the project at hand.

5. IMPROVED HEALTH

According to the Centers for Disease Control, pets help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure in their owners. Taking your dog to work also means that you will absolutely have to get up and take more frequent walks throughout the day than you might have otherwise—and all those extra steps add up (even if you don't hit the fairly arbitrary 10,000-steps-a-day mark).

6. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

You might worry that your dog will keep you from concentrating or getting enough done at work, but the opposite is true. Because your dog forces you to take short walks and respond to periodic pleas for petting or attention throughout the day, you're getting mental and physical breaks at regular intervals. Frequent short breaks like these actually increase your productivity.

7. INCREASED COWORKER COOPERATION

Offices with dogs tend to have increased cooperation and better working relationships amongst employees. Whether it's that dogs increase morale, make everyone feel more positive, or simply give them a reason to talk more, offices with pets are more likely to maintain a friendly working rapport across the board.

8. LESS WORRYING

If you've got a very young, sick, misbehaving, or elderly dog, leaving it home alone for nine or more hours can begin to wear on you later in the day. You may worry about what the dog is destroying, or if it's lonely or feeling OK. But bringing your dog to work means you (and your coworkers) will have your eyes on your pup all day long and won’t have to imagine what might be happening at home. And, your dog will be happier after spending the day with you and around other people and pets too.

9. INCREASED OVERALL JOB SATISFACTION

Employees who bring their dogs to work have higher levels of job satisfaction overall, likely due to a combination of being near their pets, feeling the effects of lessened stress, and knowing their employers are adopting policies designed to make the office a happier environment. Sounds like a win-win-win situation all around!