Is Corporate Going to The Dogs too?

It is in this office! Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. is a company that walks the talk -- and the dog too. At the company's site in Hertfordshire, Britain, several dogs can often be found in the office. Walking into the LA based advertising company TBWA\Chiat\Day, you would find both 2 legged and 4 legged employees running around. There might be 40 to 50 dogs -- compared with 850 people -- in the company's largest office at any time.

"If it is practical it can be a great benefit," says Ziela Haider, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross, an animal welfare charity in Britain. "Dogs really do reduce stress. We have a part-time office dog and spending a few minutes stroking him lets you take a mental break." They also found that many employees spend longer hours at work, knowing that their dog is beneath their desk where they can care for them.

While I can definitely see the benefits of having the wonderful energy of pets around in the office, I can also relate to the other side of this debate that feels as though they are a distraction. It's not hard to imagine that. I guess my thoughts and feelings tend to go to a larger debate that I have which is how we North Americans 'live to work' and not 'work to live.' I see this step to include our amazing bond with domesticated animals as one step closer to the latter. So I'm all for it... allergies included ;)

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