Taking Your Dog to Work is a Win-Win in Alexandria
AWLA and Coldwell Banker host adoption event in Market Square for National Bring Your Dog to Work Day.
ALEXANDRIA, VA- Dogs are ‘Man’s Best Friend,’ but who says they can’t be coworkers also? The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria thinks so.
June 20 marked National Bring Your Dog to Work Day, and to celebrate, the nonprofit partnered with Coldwell Banker Old Town to host a two-hour long adoptable dog meet-and-greet across from King Street’s Market Square, complete with a Scooby Doo photo-op.
Realtor Barbara Scheeler says this is the groups’ sixth year putting on the event, and stresses the benefits of having pets shadow owners during their shifts.
She emphasized how bringing pets to work is a win-win-win scenario for dogs, their owners, and their owners’ employers alike. “It’s a known stress-reliever,” Scheeler said. “[If] People are having a bad day and a dog walks in, you start petting the dog… you get happier, you get more productive, and you’re a better employee.”
She also added that a little extra workplace attention can even make dogs more patient and less stressed.
Animal Welfare League’s Erin Shackleford thinks a trip to the office is a great way to push some pets past their comfort zone.
“Maybe not all dogs dig it, but especially if you have a dog that’s very social, it’s a great way to socialize animals and get them used to different things,” Shackleford said.
Beyond the King Street event, some Alexandria residents see the upside of a pet-friendly workplace.
While artist Rosemary Covey works the canvas in her studio at the Torpedo Factory, her four-year-old dog, Lizzy, makes a lot of ‘human friends.
Covery described Lizzy as gentle, and said that her approachable demeanor helps welcome guests into her studio. “At the Torpedo Factory, we get a lot of people that are from all kinds of other places,” Covey said. “They tell me, ‘Oh, it’s so good to pet a dog, I miss my dog so much.’”
She added that Lizzy’s time in the studio helps her make other human friends, namely with other artists.
Covey doesn’t know exactly what type of mix Lizzy is, but her visitors have some ideas.
“Australians who have been in the studio have said they think she’s a Kelpie, which is a basic herding dog,” Covey said.
Even dogs who aren’t out socializing during work hours can get the benefit of extra exercise. Alexandria pool operator Ed Murphy’s two dogs, Moose and Elvis, would tag along with him while he prepped swimming pools for the summer season.
Murphy said that Moose would get particularly curious, especially when it came to exploring covered pools that were out of commission for the season.
“When you get in the middle [of the covers], they sink, and the pools are nasty under that,” Murphy said. “Moose would come back smelling; I can’t even describe what he smelled like.”
While the added company didn’t make his job necessarily easier, Murphy said that he appreciated the chance to spend time with his dogs.
Despite the good times many share with their pets on the job, some dog owners may be reluctant to let their work lives and home lives merge. Megan Hess of the Animal Welfare League says there is an easy fix to this dilemma.
“Try it out for a little bit of time, and have low expectations,” Hess said. “And make sure you also have some of the comforts of home at work, so they feel it’s a place where they can relax too.”
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