Buy/bark local

Shop local with today’s GROUPON deal for Pets at Play doggy daycare – my Jack has been going there for years and gives it four paws up!!

Here’s the deal:  two days for the price of one.  Jack will be there tomorrow, sporting his “I voted” sticker.  If you/your furry child go, tell Maria Lyn that he sent you.

Dog-friendly offices make it to the finals!

K9s are practically on the payroll at Create Digital and Wolfgang Jasper Photography, and both are in the finalist round of “Best Office in RVA,” sponsored by Work It, Richmond.

The American Humane Association shares the benefits of a dog-welcoming work space:

• Staff morale and worker productivity (up!)
• Increased camaraderie (high paw!)
• Happier employees = enhanced job performance (bring home the bones)
• Increased sales reported by store owners who take their dogs to work (cha-ching)
• Dogs can serve as a crime deterrent (nod to McGruff the Crime Dog)

The American Pet Products Association reports that one in five companies in the U.S. allow pets in the workplace.  With “ruff” times and cutbacks in employee perks, offering a dog-friendly work space can have tremendous positive effects that won’t touch your budget.

Did you know corporate offices at Amazon and Google allow dogs at work?  And they’re bottom line is lookin’ good.

Photo courtesy of Well at Work, blog.

I know firsthand, when the office gets a little dark and the noise level fades with the exception of a murmured vacuum somewhere on the seventh floor, I cringe at my clock knowing that my dog is at home on standby, snotty nose pressed against the front window, eagerly waiting my return.  I did sneak him into the office once—a la bulky tote bag.  It was as if he knew exactly what I was up to as he perched quietly on my rolling stool (those short filing cabinets topped with a cushion for seating in impromptu cubicle meetings).  It didn’t hurt to have a bag of treats squirreled away in my purse.  The point is: I felt at ease staying late, relieved of any anxiety that my pup was agonizing for a potty break and the dinner morsels on special.  I had my sidekick, and we plowed through projects.

If you know of a business that might consider creating a dog-friendly space, check out Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces

While a judge’s panel will call the shots in the finalist round, it couldn’t hurt to brew some noise from dog-friendly RVA.  I encourage you to comment on the feature article this week: The Best Office in RVA finalists.