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The 17th annual celebration of PSI’s Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay®) is on Friday, June 26, and many businesses—even those not traditionally pet friendly—are opening their doors to employees’ dogs for this special day.

Whether your businesses has never allowed dogs in the workplace before or your company is dog friendly year round, it’s important to review your TYDTWDay policies to ensure your celebration will be a successful one.

Event creator Pet Sitters International (PSI) offers these tips for participating dog owners to help ensure management, employees and pets are all comfortable on TYDTWDay:

1. Dogs should be kept on a leash, unless in the employee’s office or cubicle. Even the best-behaved dogs may not understand that not everyone loves puppy kisses or a pouncing pooch. Respect co-worker’s space by keeping your dog leashed when outside of your office or cubicle. Co-workers who want to pet your dog will likely come to you.

2. Employees should use a baby gate to prevent dogs from leaving their office unsupervised. In the middle of an important sales call or during a visit from a business partner is not the best time for Fido to dash out of your office. Give your dog space to roam in your office while avoiding an unplanned escape by using a baby gate.

3. Specific areas, such as bathrooms or employee dining halls, should be designated as dog-free. Even on TYDTWDay, there will be limitations to where your dog can roam. Work with management and co-workers to decide which areas of the office will be dog-free.

4. Have a back-up plan for taking the dog home if he is not comfortable in the work environment. While most dogs love spending a day at the office, it may be that your dog is not ready to enter the workforce. Have a back-up plan, such as a spouse, friend or professional pet sitter who can take care of your pet if he needs to leave the office.

Created by PSI in 1995, TYDTWDay encourages employers to experience the joys of pets in the workplace for one special day to celebrate the great companions dogs make and promote adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups and humane societies.

Modern Dog magazine is the print media sponsor for the 2015 event.

Businesses and pet owners interested in learning more about TYDTWDay are encouraged to download a free action pack at Takeyourdog.com. To locate a professional pet sitter in your area to assist with a TYDTWDay event, visit PSI’s Official Pet Sitter Locator at http://www.petsit.com/locate.