DOZER, BLUE and GHOST!

The First In a Series of Dog Tales

A dog is man’s best friend… King Frederick of Prussia, 1789

Pets are humanizing. They remind us that we have an obligation and responsibility to nurture, care for, and preserve all life.

In 1983, Dye and Eskin, Inc. bought the office building where our business continues to be housed. Concurrent with that purchase, we concluded that dogs matter and would always be welcome.

Today over 20% of all companies have dog friendly policies year round. Large organizations like Meta and Amazon have used their dog-friendly policies as recruiting tools and now smaller companies are following their lead.

Sure there are challenges to maintaining a dog-friendly workplace:

• Dogs bark, whine and snore which can be somewhat disruptive
• Co-workers may have phobias or allergies
• There can be disruptions as dogs may or may not like every dog they meet at the office
• Dog bites, although few in nature, can lead to lawsuits

At Dye and Eskin, Inc. we think the benefits of dogs are substantial and far outweigh potential downsides.

Early in the pandemic, the Times of India ran an article about loneliness, the loss of loved ones, and the uncontrollable stress created by the rampage of Covid. They reported on how dogs come to our rescue during extraordinarily stressful times. Dogs are faithful, charming, whimsical, loyal, and loving companions. They are psychological healers whose interactions with humans generate neurochemicals in our brains which regulate a positive mood and happy feelings (scientificamerican.com). Not to mention the cardiac benefits of having to exercise with our dogs on a regular basis several times a day!

Relating this to our workplaces, there is documented evidence that pet friendly offices are:

• Happier with better work/life balance and reduced stress
• More creative and productive with lower tension and better team cohesion
• Employee retention is higher
• Workplace relationships improve with shared responsibility for pet walk and other care
• Rates of absenteeism are lowered
• General health improvements include lowered blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and decreased feelings of loneliness

A pro-pet policy sets the tone for an office as comfortable, open, and flexible. We know that reflects Dye and Eskin’s approach for both our employees and clients.

Of course nothing is perfect and the most important rules for a pet friendly office are that everyone keeps their teeth to themselves and remembers where the fire hydrant is.

One last thing to think about:

“Dogs are leaders of the planet. If you see two life forms, one is making poopee and the other one is carrying it for him, who do you assume is in charge?”—Jerry Seinfeld