The first Friday of June sees offices around the country take part in National Take Your Dog to Work Day, a lighthearted and charming event where canine companions visit the workplace.
Created in 1999 by Pet Sitters International, the holiday promotes pet adoptions and fosters a pet-friendly workplace atmosphere.
Whether working from home or traveling to the workplace for work, National Take Your Dog to Work Day offers a wonderful excuse for pampering your pet and adding a little tail-wagging excitement to the workday.
Bring Your Dog to Work Day
According to the Washington Post, nearly 66% of American households own a pet, and over 23 million adopted a pet during the pandemic.
As dogs become increasingly a part of our lives, this holiday season gives us a good opportunity to be grateful for all the goodness they contribute to our well-being, happiness, and productivity.
These 10 easy-to-adopt and fun activities will make this year’s National Take Your Dog to Work Day memorable, whether your staff operates in-office, off-site, or a combination of both.
1. Host a Pup Parade
Begin the day with a fun dog parade around the office or through your Zoom call. Encourage employees to highlight their dogs’ personalities with costumes or matching outfits.
A more lighthearted activity in categories like “Best Dressed,” “Silliest Tail Wag,” or “Best Human and Dog Team” can be included as well. Remote teams can even take votes through pre-recorded video or photo submissions.
Research published in Frontiers in Psychology indicates that human-animal interactions can trigger oxytocin release, which contributes to social bonding and stress reduction.
Make it interactive by having team members host the event and bond over it. Consider videotaping the event for future use in internal newsletters or social media postings.
2. Establish a Dog-Friendly Snack Bar
Design a snack bar offering canine-friendly treats without forgetting the humans as well. The snack bar will be stocked with grain-free biscuits, frozen banana bites, as well as peanut butter bits for the canines.
Add ingredient symbols and allergen information. Email a remote employee email recipe card so that they can create homemade dog treats and design a specialty treat for their dog.
You might also include QR codes on wholesome recipes for homemade canine treats. Consider asking a local pet bakery about sponsoring or donating for additional community outreach.
Dr. Lisa Lippman, a well-known house call vet in NYC, spoke about this idea on numerous occasions, where she said in interviews with Good Morning America and on podcasts to:
“Reward good behavior and settle anxious behavior in unfamiliar places with healthy treats.”
3. Go on a Midday Doggy Wellness Walk
Organise a group dog walk as a team break. It not only promotes physical exercise but also socialization and relaxed talk.
For virtual teams, ask everyone to take a walk at the same time and then post a photo afterward. Study published in Nature website found that taking a walk when outdoors in green spaces improves mood and reduces stress levels by a significant percentage.
Get everyone to monitor their steps for a bit of a challenge. Make it a mini fundraiser where every mile translates to a dollar donation toward an animal shelter.
This little activity maintains work-life balance and keeps both the puppies and humans rejuvenated.
4. Post Doggie Bios on the Office Wall
Encourage team members to write a brief biography of their pets, containing their name, age, breed, favorite toy, and something special about them, and share them on the breakroom bulletin board, Slack channel, or corporate newsletter.
It allows coworkers to bond over common interests and life experiences and creates stronger team bonds. It’s also a great onboarding experience for new hires.
Use a shared photo album or shared slide presentation for remote or hybrid teams. Highlight a few bios at your next all-hands meeting!
5. Build a Puppy Photo Booth
Organize a photo booth filled with props like bowties, squeaky toys, and small chalkboards. You can do this by providing a Polaroid camera or phone tripod for staff members to take memory pictures. For a virtual team, ask staff to share their pet selfies and create a collage.
Print them out for a permanent break room or digital signage screen. Make it a vote so employees can pick categories such as “Best Smile” or “Funniest Pose.”
Photos can be posted on the company’s social media with the employees’ permission, which can aid in increasing employer branding and engagement.
6. Host a Fundraiser or Pet Supply Drive
Consider benefiting a local animal shelter or rescue group by having a fundraising event or a supply drive. They always welcome dog food, leashes, and toys.
You can also match donations made by employees or offer rewards for the most donations made. Another idea that will help this idea is to give a donation link and leaderboard for remote employees as well.
Another way you can do this is to make advance calls to local shelters and ask them what they most require in terms of supplies. Provide recognition or anecdotes from the shelter as an incentive for participation.
This is a wonderful means of extending the impact of Bring Your Dog to Work Day beyond your office doors.
7. Host a Virtual “Ask the Vet” Q&A
Host a local veterinarian for a brief webinar or lunch-and-learn session on pet health and wellness. Employees are free to ask any questions they may have on training, nutritional requirements, or ongoing care.
This activity has value for pet owners and shows your organization cares about the welfare of humans and dogs both.
Record the session for those who cannot attend live, and send a short follow-up survey to gather feedback and topic suggestions for the future.
Dr. Arielle Walton, an expert on holistic approach to pet care has talked about this in her articles. She said that granting employees access to professional advice not only benefits their pets but also improves their mental well-being.
“Employers implementing dog-friendly policies have reported a noticeable increase in the willingness of their workforce to return to the office, with 84% of employers at dog-friendly workplaces reporting a successful return to office in the CESAR survey.
This trend goes beyond the mere convenience of having pets at work; it reflects a deeper desire among employees for a workplace that feels welcoming and considerate of their lifestyle.”
8. Host a Dog Trick Contest
Face-to-face or virtually, a trick dog competition injects a laugh and a boost of fun into the day. Encourage staff to share tricks like “high five,” “roll over,” or “speak.”
A panel of judges or let employees themselves decide a winner for awards like “Most Creative Trick” or “Funniest Fail.” The judges will decide on who gets low-key rewards like gift certificates from pet stores or personalized ID tags.
So make it fun and light-hearted because let’s face it, it’s an inclusive celebration of each pet’s unique personality.
9. Create a Pet Perks Corner
Take advantage of the moment to announce or promote your pet-friendly employee benefits, such as pet insurance, pet bereavement time off, or flexible time for veterinary visits.
If your organization has not previously supplied these, National Take Your Dog to Work Day would be a good time to broach the subject. According to MetLife, 69% of pet owners consider their pets family and look for pet-friendly benefits in the benefits package.
Bring in HR staff from your own organisation or external presenters from your chosen benefits to do a quick survey, and ask your staff what pet benefit they would most value.
10. Finish with a Group Pet Meditation
Finish the day on a simple, peaceful note by doing a short guided meditation with your pets. You can find these pet-friendly meditations designed to soothe both pets and owners on YouTube.
Welcome, everyone, to sign off a bit early and spend a few moments with their pets, reflecting on their day. These habits enhance the well-being of staff and illustrate a thoughtful and well-balanced corporate culture.
Pets and Workplace
National Take Your Dog to Work Day isn’t merely a holiday for fun. It’s the opportunity to enhance morale, create camaraderie, and promote a positive and welcoming work atmosphere.
Whether your office is entirely remote, entirely in-office, or a mix of both, the ideas below can be adapted for your staff.
From organizing a dog parade to kicking off a fundraiser, every activity is done with the sole purpose of reinforcing team-building and honoring the unconditional love our dogs show us every day.
So this year, don’t merely observe Bring Your Dog to Work Day, make it the paws-itively ideal day.
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