Upon moving to its new location in Mukilteo, SportsArt America announced a pet-friendly office policy that encouraged employees to bring their dogs into work with them. The results? A boost in morale and even the personal health of their owners. But don’t take it from us: here’s what one pooch in particular has to say on the matter.
Hi everyone! I’m Henry, and I’ve taken over my human mom Nicole’s computer.
Nicole took me to work with her a few years ago for “Take Your Pet to Work Week.” That week was such a success that her company eventually extended it year-round! Imagine my excitement when the leash went on and I got to go for a car ride with her…Every. Morning. I was finally able to quit attending my anxiety anonymous meetings I had signed up for back when she started leaving me alone all day. She threatened to put me up for adoption after I ate the curtains as an appetizer and the couch for lunch one day. That was the last straw for her, so I think she was happy with her new work policy just as much as I was.
I overheard my vet telling her one day that many studies had been done on pets in the workplace and, in every one of them, stress levels of other dog moms and dads dropped substantially with all of us fur balls hanging around at their sides. And–what do you know—even the blood pressures of my canine companions dropped when they got a belly scratch from a hand above. It’s a win-win all the way around!
Once Nicole started taking me to work, she became a happier person. I used to remember her complaining about this Shirley character who would get on her nerves for this reason or that (you humans are a very complicated breed). Yet, once Shirley came over to give me a scratch behind the ears, things softened up a bit between the two of them. Apparently, Shirley had a dog that looked just like me down the hallway, and as soon as we were introduced, it was love at first sight. I hung out with Shirley’s fur girl most days, which in turn caused Nicole and Shirley to talk about things other than work. Lo and behold, they became much better friends. A happy human mom at work makes for a happy human mom at home.
Now, this is a touchy subject, so if you know Nicole please don’t tell her I’m mentioning this: She started to get a bit on the chubby side from sitting in an office chair all day. She’d hardly leave her seat, and when she did, it was usually to get food to bring back to her desk. Now, however, she packs us both a healthy lunch and takes almost all her lunch break to take ME for a walk outside! We are both getting double the exercise we used to, and the fresh air is a great way to clear her head from the craziness of her office.
I’m pretty sure that I’m doing Nicole a huge favor both physically and mentally by accompanying her to work…even though she only looks at it as a way to save the replacement couch…
Thanks for the perspective, Henry! We love seeing our SportsArt dogs enjoying themselves with their moms and dads at work. Take a gander at the image gallery below for our favorite fur family photos!
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- Moose is ready to workout!
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- Penny and Stella are relaxing after a busy day.
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- Mazie is tired from all this hard work!
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