As much as people love spending time with their dogs, it's should be no surprise that many will figure out any way possible to keep from leaving them home when it's time to go to work.
While no one knows for sure how many businesses allow dogs, Pet Sitters International, which promotes the annual "Take Your Dog to Work Day," says the trend is small but growing.
"We've seen steady growth in participation," says PSI's John Long. "The first year, we had 500 companies. In 2003, more than 5,000."
Take Your Dog to Work Day, the seventh such event, is June 24 this year, and PSI expects more than 10,000 companies to have some sort of canine-related event.
"Having dogs in the workplace has been shown to reduce stress and improve employee moral. Employees are more willing to work longer hours," says Long. "It's also a nice recruiting tool. A company that has pet-friendly policy will appear more attractive to a dog lover."
Of course, having dogs come to work has more than its share of challenges. Some people are allergic to dogs, and some are frightened of them. There's also the issue of potty breaks and cleanups, and of setting a professional tone.
Long says having dogs in the workplace works when the company sets up guidelines that everyone agrees on in advance and that are geared to address the potential problems. Dogs may be allowed in certain parts of the building only, for example, or can come in only on certain days.
Although PSI has a couple of large companies involved in Take Your Dog to Work Day, most workplaces that allow dogs are small ones, says Long, and typically in a creative line of work. Small technology, advertising or design companies seem to have more dog-friendly workplaces, says Long, as do real estate agencies.
"You only want to bring in pets that are first and foremost clean, well-groomed and socialized. No dogs with an aggressive nature, shy or nervous," he says. "And always have cleanup supplies on hand."
Don Linville, a partner in the Sacramento, Calif., Web-development firm CR deZign, runs a business that fits the profile of a typical dog-friendly office. He left his tie behind on Wall Street and likes working in a small-business environment that's relaxed and dog-friendly. His dog, Henry, a 10-month-old retriever, grew up in the office and is there most days when clients aren't.
"When I looked for a dog, I specifically looked for mellow, for a breed that would work best around people," he says, "and I made sure everyone who works here was OK with a dog."
Because Henry was a puppy when he joined the firm, cleanup supplies came in handy, but so did a crate. "When he was small, the crate was his default," says Linville. "He'd be in the crate except when it was time for walking or play."
Now mostly grown up, Henry's main job is that of greeter. "He prefers the mailman over the UPS guy, but he likes the FedEx guy best of all," says Linville, who notes that the retriever's also a good center fielder in the occasional office Wiffle-ball games.
For Linville, the advantage of having Henry in the office is that it makes working long hours more bearable. "He's a good distraction. I can't focus for 12 hours straight, but I can put a leash on him and take a walk," he says. "Or just stop, take a couple of minutes and throw the ball for Henry.
"He has become kind of a mascot here. Folks are genuinely bummed out if he's not at work."
SIDEBAR
Dogs have their day
Pet Sitters International has been organizing Take Your Dog to Work Day since 1999, with the exception of one year when it sold the event to the now-defunct Pets.com. This year's celebration is June 24, and more than 10,000 companies are expected to participate.
For more information, visit the event's Web site, www.petsit.com/dogday.
Q&A
Some cats crave companionship
Q: I adopted a kitten last year and am keeping her as an indoor cat. Between working and commuting, I'm gone a long time every day during the week. She has plenty of toys, but I wonder if she'd like a companion. I'm thinking of adopting an adult this time, but would another kitten would be better? -- E.C., via e-mail
A: Considering the youth of your present cat, I think adopting another cat is a great idea that will almost certainly add to her quality of life. I also recommend choosing an adult over a kitten. Considering how little time you have for raising a kitten, a well-mannered adult cat seems the perfect addition.
But that's not the only reason.
Once kitten season starts, even the sweetest, handsomest and most well-mannered cats run out of time before anyone recognizes them for the wonderful companions they are and adopt them.
The sole reason: Cats just aren't as cute as kittens. Being overlooked at the shelter is bad news for the cats, of course, but it's also unfortunate for many people who don't realize that an adult cat may, in many cases, be a better choice than a kitten. Sure, kittens are cute, but they also can be a bit of a trial as they grow up. They need extra time, extra training and extra tolerance for all those crazy things that kittens do.
Adding a second cat will require patience, but it usually works out.
Since the worst territorial spats are between cats who aren't spayed or neutered, your chances for peaceful coexistence are many times greater if the cats are both altered before any introductions are planned. You should also take the new cat or kitten to your veterinarian before bringing him home, to be certified free of parasites such as ear mites and contagious diseases such as feline leukemia.
Don't force the cats together, but rather set them up in different parts of the house with their own bowls, scratching posts and litter boxes and let them work out their own timetable for introductions.
June is Adopt-A-Cat Month at many of the nation's shelters, so there's no time like the present to get your cat a companion.
Rabies shots: How often?
Q: How often do dogs need a rabies shot? I've heard "every year" and "every three years." I don't want to pay for something I don't have to. -- E.L., via e-mail
A: Your dog needs to be revaccinated at regular intervals determined by the local or state law in your area. While most states require vaccination every three years -- Florida recently became the 35th such state -- others insist on an annual rabies shot.
When it comes to rabies, the laws aren't really for your pet's benefit; they're for yours. While the risk of contracting rabies from your pet may be small, the disease is deadly if not caught early. People can die from rabies, which is why the law is so unforgiving on the topic of vaccinations.
If you have questions regarding the law in your area, call your local animal-control agency.
Incidentally, while the focus of rabies prevention has traditionally been on dogs, cases of feline rabies are not uncommon. Even if a rabies vaccine is not required by law in your area, public-health officials strongly urge vaccinating cats as well. And more and more places are requiring it.
The bottom line: Keeping your pets' rabies vaccinations current is just good common sense.
(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)
PET PLATES
Breed love on a plate
When it comes to dogs, everyone has favorites among the breeds. When it comes to vanity license plates, many people choose to share those favorites. This week's reader submissions fall into that category, and one of the plates even shows off Ohio's new pet-friendly plates. (For more information, go to www.petsohio.com.) The plates:
-- LUVBDOG. Ohio offered the PetsOhio plate this year, and because we love our English bulldog, Bridget Jones, I chose "LUVBDOG." She is the most beautiful dog ever! -- B.C., via e-mail
-- 2SCOTEZ. Ah, yes, the license plate game! Here's a picture of the plates on our Ohio Chrysler 300. We travel with the dogs -- a black Scottie and a wheaton Scottie -- in their pup car seats to South Carolina several times a year. Do we get the double takes! -- B.K. and S.K., via e-mail
(If you have a pet-related license plate send a jpeg digital image and the story behind the plate to petconnection@gmail.com.)
PET RX
Don't take chances with puppy, parvo
Socialization is important for young puppies, but so is protection against canine parvovirus. Your puppy should not be exposed to areas frequented by other dogs (such as parks) and should not be introduced to dogs whose vaccination status cannot be determined.
Protection against parvovirus and other diseases is not in place until your puppy's initial vaccinations are behind him. Talk to your veterinarian about how many vaccines are necessary, and what kinds are recommended. The trend these days is to balance vaccine risk and benefit by using the fewest vaccines to get the immune system ready to fight disease.
Vomiting and bloody diarrhea in a puppy is an emergency that requires immediate veterinary assistance. A test at the veterinarian's will determine if the puppy has parvo and, if so, treatment can then begin in an effort to save the pet's life.
(Pet Rx is provided by the Veterinary Information Network (VIN.com), an online service for veterinary professionals. More information can be found at www.veterinarypartner.com.)
THE SCOOP
Grooming does more than keep cats clean
Cats do their best to keep every hair in order -- and not just for the sake of appearance. Grooming has a number of advantages to your cat, including:
-- Weatherproofing. Separating and smoothing each hair help to improve the fur's insulating abilities, keeping both heat and cold at bay. As a cat grooms, he also distributes the oils from his skin throughout his coat, giving it a measure of waterproofing.
-- Scent-marking. Grooming helps to distribute a cat's scent across his whole body, which cats find very comforting. Scent is so important, a cat often licks himself right after being petted, both to re-establish his own scent and to drink in yours. (And that's not the only grooming act that puts a cat's scent where he wants it: The act of digging his claws into a fence post (outside) or sofa or cat tree (inside) not only keeps his nails sharp, but also leaves secretions from glands in his paws on the object he fancies.)
-- Parasite and burr control. Although your cat can't keep up with a major flea and tick infestation, he does his best by nibbling the pests off his body. Burrs and other things that get caught on the fur are also removed during a cat's grooming sessions.
-- Sociality. In a multicat household, especially one with littermates, you often see cats grooming each other. This behavior -- which is also performed on beloved humans -- is a way of reinforcing a cat's connection to his family.
Grooming has so many benefits that you can easily see why, next to sleeping, it's one of the most important tasks on any cat's list.
ON THE WEB
Reports to track airline pet deaths
Airlines must now include the number of killed, lost or injured pets on reports that previously listed only mishandled baggage, late departures and other annoyances of travel.
Animal activists says the reports will make air travel safer by allowing people to choose airlines with good safety records when it comes to pets. Industry representatives warn the reporting requirement may make those airlines that still allow pets more likely to join those that don't. The reports will be posted on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Web site at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/. The agency also offers pet travel regulations at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/animals.htm.
The Humane Society of the United States (hsus.org) has information on how to minimize risks for pets traveling by air, and the American Kennel Club (akc.org) keeps a current list of airline policies and fees for pets, in addition to its own page of air-travel tips.
Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com. You can also read her frequently updated Web log or view her column archives at www.spadafori.com.
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