It’s Take Your Dog to Work Day: Now Is Your Dog’s Chance to Bring Home the Bacon

Hooray! This "pawsome" day has finally come. It’s Take Your Dog to Work Day 2018. Instead of leaving your four-legged friends at home – their sad eyes piercing your soul as you sneak out the back door feeling shame-faced – you can bring your furry companion along to the office (on the condition your workplace is participating, of course)!

You will be your pupper’s watchful "humanager" for the day. You will conduct rigorous "furformance" reviews. Everyone will be cheerful and take a “pat break” at noon. A corgi named Banana Bread will pant along to your favorite song on Spotify. A Great Dane that looks creepily like its owner, the CTO, will stare judgingly at you when you don’t offer him a bite of the free donut you managed to nab from the break room. He won't break eye contact with you for a full two minutes. You’ll be scared, but somehow put at ease by his gentle, yet fierce, gaze.

This concept may be far-fetched for a lot of companies (*cue dog looking up from under your cubical at the mention of the word fetch), but many companies nowadays allow their employees to bring dogs every day of the year.

Here are five year-round pet-friendly offices you might want to consider if having your furry friend along for your “daily grind” would be a game-changer for you:

1) Amazon

Amazon boasts that it has over 6,000 dogs “working there.” That’s 24,000 paws (aww!). At Amazon, bring-your-dog-to-work day is every day—a long-standing tradition that both Amazonians and their furry side-kicks consider an amazing treat. Did someone say treat?

2) Tito’s Vodka

Tito’s employees can bring their dogs to work, but they can’t drink the product. Their “Vodka for Dog People” program is inspired by the company’s history of taking in abandoned animals that were spotted around its distillery. While their rescue mission is still in practice, the program has since expanded to allow employees the opportunity to bring in their dogs every day of the year. Want to help? Buy a bowl from the company – all proceeds go to Emancipet.

3) Zoosk

While the online dating service Zoosk primarily sparks human-human relationships, the company also does its part to keep employees’ relationships with their canine significant others strong. The company allows dogs year-round.

4) Ben & Jerry’s

If you work at Ben & Jerry’s, free ice cream isn’t the only perk. Their pet-friendly office in South Burlington, VT is another benefit that’s nothing to growl at. According to their website, the company loves their dogs almost as much as they love their ice cream (okay, maybe the same amount). B&J dubbed the dogs “K9-5ers,” and they join their humans at work every day. The K9 crew starts their day with a treat at the reception desks, and “enjoy plenty of pets, cuddles, and walks.” Dogs and ice cream? What’s not to love?

5) BISSELL

BISSELL allows dogs at their headquarters 365 days a year. According to their website, it’s not uncommon to roam the halls and find a dog or two in an office meeting, sitting at their owners’ desk, or taking a walk around the campus. BISSELL also boasts a “PetSpot” area – complete with open space for dogs to play together, kennels with outdoor access, treats, a dog bath, and fun toys to keep pets occupied while their humans do their work.

Feeling like you have it "ruff" after reading about all these pet-friendly companies? Find out what you're worth as a first step in making a career change.

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