Take Your Dog to Work Day: How to Celebrate Your Pup with Co-Workers

Everyone recognizes the feeling of pure euphoria that comes with seeing a dog. It becomes especially more true in places you'd least expect! So it's no surprise that “Take Your Dog To Work Day,” a holiday first celebrated in 1999, was created by an organization called Pet Sitters International (or PSI, short) to celebrate man's best friend and their stellar history of companionship, as well as to promote adoption.

 

This holiday encourages businesses to experience the joy of having our favorite furry friends in the workplace for a fun summer Friday. Throughout the day, non-Animal Parents receive the gift of witnessing the special bond between their coworkers and their pets firsthand. And who knows? They might even be motivated to adopt a furry friend of their own!

 

 

What is Take Your Dog to Work Day?

We're sure you've likely heard of Take Your Child to Work Day. But did you know that a day exists for the working class and their pups? 

 

Since 1999, Take Your Dog to Work Day has been around for dog lovers everywhere (and those without human children of their own) and is always celebrated on the last Friday in June. This national holiday marks a celebration of the companionship between humans and canines. Take Your Dog to Work Day aims to inspire those without canine companions of their own to adopt from shelters and humane societies.

 

 

 

 

Take Your Dog to Work Day is an opportunity to celebrate every dog breed and its unique abilities to ease stress and tension in the workplace and increase productivity. The Virginia Commonwealth University confirmed this unique canine feature in a study published in 2012!

 

 

When is Take Your Dog to Work Day?

Take Your Dog to Work Day is always celebrated on a Friday directly following Father's Day. This year (2021), June 25th will mark the 23rd annual celebration of the event.

 

To simplify the matter even further, here is a list showing the days on which Take Your Dog to Work Day will fall in upcoming years:

 

• This Year: June 25th, 2021
• June 24th, 2022
• June 23rd, 2023

 

Subsequentially, you can find Take Your Dog to Work Day on the following dates: June 21st, 2024, June 20th, 2025, June 26th, 2026, June 25th, 2027, June 23rd, 2028, June 22nd, 2029

 

 

Why Celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day?

We can all agree; the most challenging part of the day is leaving our four-legged babies behind as we head into the office. Dogs have a unique way of brightening up even the worst of days. So, it is plain to see how they can up the fun factor at work significantly!

 

Spending an excessive amount of time too close to a project, problem, or other work can cause unnecessary stress and inhibit productivity. A few pets roaming around can remind people to pause, take a breath, and briefly step away from whatever they are involved in to enjoy the company of a sweet pup.

 

Who Benefits from Take Your Dog to Work Day?

Workplace stress can cause negativity, creating a tense and uncomfortable work environment for employees and affecting productivity. Allowing pets to be brought into the workplace for a day can create many benefits for both employees and employers.

 

While pets in the office have historically been perceived as an employee-only benefit, studies show pets in the workplace can positively affect employees and often correlate with absenteeism, improved office morale, and a healthy work-life balance.

 

This holiday also offers an opportunity for those who wish to get a bit closer to their coworkers! Bringing in your favorite pup can be a comfortable and non-invasive way to let the people you work with into your personal life!

 

 

How Do You Celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day?

As a celebration of the companionship between humans and canines, National Take Your Dog to Work Day aims to inspire those without a furry friend in their lives to adopt from humane societies and local animal shelters. Individuals working in the pet supply business may find this specific celebration to be an everyday occurrence. But how do you celebrate this holiday? There are a few ways that you can make this day memorable for everyone involved! Specifically, your favorite furry friend!

 

 

 

 

Bring in Your Precious Pooch

The best way to celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day is to let your favorite four-legged friend accompany you to work!

 

Participating in this canine celebration offers up a wide variety of benefits. This includes increased morale in the office to your sweet pup potentially getting a larger-than-average dose of physical exercise for the day. Not to mention, we all know how much our furry friends will love the attention they'll get from not only the other dogs but from you and your coworkers as well!

 

Support an Animal shelter

A primary aspect of Take Your Dog to Work Day is to rescue dogs through adoption and the active effort to support local animal shelters. Offer employees the option to "pay" to bring their favorite pooch into work via donated items or money.

 

Perhaps consider reaching out to a local animal shelter and inviting a representative to participate in your office's event to spread goodwill, share success stories, provide details of dogs available for adoption, and showcase their mission.

 

Extra Treats for Good Behavior

Consider providing your pup with extra treats or even a fancier dinner than usual! Truly treat them to a unique reward for good behavior in the office. This holiday can be a premier learning opportunity for younger dogs or dogs that don't regularly socialize with other animals. Though don't be fooled, new Puppy Parents can benefit from taking their dog to work just as much as the pup themselves can!

 

Seeing how your puppy interacts with other people and animals is crucial to their training. Suppose your puppy gets through the day without any significant behavioral issues. We see absolutely no reason that they don't deserve a nice reward for their excellent work when they get home.

 

Dog parents might want to consider treating their sweet pups to a few CBD calming treats at the end of a long and eventful day. 

 

While all dogs can benefit from CBD, individuals with anxious, older, or high-energy pooches may see a handful of benefits ranging from increased mobility to a calmer demeanor.

 

 

Precautions for Pups in the Workspace

• Get the "all clear". Nearly 9% of the population suffers from an irrational fear of dogs – a fear clinically recognized as "cynophobia".  Be sure you acknowledge people with allergies. Or, the feelings of your coworkers that may be afraid of dogs. Calmly explain how the day can even be fun for them!
• Puppy-proof the workspace. You'll want to put away things a dog (or several dogs) might eat or chew on that could potentially damage the office or be harmful to them. Below you'll find a shortlist of potential chewing hazards around the office:
• Chocolate
• Poisonous plants
• Electrical wires or equipment
• Pack doggie goodie bags. Regardless of what species it's meant for, no party is complete without a party favor; give every sweet pup in attendance a doggie bag full of small toys or treats.
• Strut Your Mutt. We've saved the most crucial part of Take Your Dog to Work Day for last. Make sure ahead of time to schedule a block of time on National Take Your Dog to Work Day for a pet parade! This is an excellent way for canines to mingle and for coworkers to strut their mutt. Take them for a walk around your office, inside or out!

 

 

Final Thoughts - Take Your Dog to Work Day

A little bit of playtime, temporary distractions, and short walks allow for mental breaks. It can help hard-working employees not to overwork themselves and become stressed. Certain companies, like Etsy, regularly allow and welcome pets in the workplace. They do so as a means of keeping spirits high and workers productive.

 

We know it can be hard to believe when work feels overwhelming, but trust us, laughter and positivity are just as contagious (if not more) as negativity and stress. Studies suggest that pets can help reduce blood pressure via their ability to calm us down and make employees more cordial and productive. We think that all pets deserve a special thank you and extra belly rubs for that.