Take Your Dog To Work Day® Creator Encourages Businesses to Jump on the Pet-Friendly Bandwagon for One Day to Help Pets in Need
2016 marks the 18th annual celebration of Take Your Dog To Work Day and event creator Pet Sitters International reflects on the growth of pet-friendly policies and encourages companies to “make it their business” to help pets in need on June 24.
Previous TYDTWDay participants at Switch, a leading advertising agency in St. Louis, Missouri
With high-profile companies such as Google, Mashable, Etsy and even Ben & Jerry’s offering pet-friendly work environments, it’s easy to forget that the trend of dogs in the office is still a relatively new one. When Pet Sitters International (PSI) created Take Your Dog To Work Day® in 1999, PSI President Patti Moran says the day was initially met with skepticism. Since that time, however, the annual event—which will be celebrated this year on Friday, June 24—has grown in popularity and PSI hears from companies across the United States and abroad that are excited to experience dogs in the office, even if just for one day to support a great cause.
“The idea was first inspired by Take Your Daughter to Work Day. We thought a similar day was a great idea because we knew so many pet owners see their dogs as surrogate children,” explains Moran. “We believed the idea had merit but it was a tough sell convincing other businesses that the Day could be a great morale booster for employees and help promote local pet adoptions. For the first few years, we spent countless hours calling companies around the country, pitching the idea and encouraging them to participate.”
“It was truly a grassroots effort,” she adds. “So, it’s very exciting to see how much the popularity of pets in the workplace has grown since we first launched the Day.”
The trend has certainly grown since the inception of TYDTWDay and shows no signs of slowing. A 2015 Society for Human Resource Management survey found that 8 percent of American workplaces allow employees to bring pets (up from 5 percent in 2013). More and more companies are likely to jump on the pet-friendly bandwagon as they seek to attract millennials who are set to soon surpass baby boomers as the largest pet-owning generation and who will be making up almost half of the workforce by 2020.
“2016 marks the 18th annual celebration and we hope that the increasing acceptance of pets in the workplace will open the door for even more companies to celebrate dogs and promote their adoptions by hosting a TYDTWDay event,” Moran concludes.
Although major corporations like those noted above may be most well known for their dog-friendly policies, PSI hears from a variety of companies each year—from law firms and universities to governmental offices and fine china distributors—interested in welcoming employees’ four-legged best friends into the workplace for TYDTWDay.
Employees at Village Green, a Detroit-based property management company, have raised more than $60,000 for local pet-rescue organizations through their annual TYDTWDay celebrations.
“We find that companies participating for the first time are often nervous about opening their doors to dogs or other pets,” shares Beth Stultz, PSI marketing director and national spokesperson for the event. “But once they celebrate the first year and see how successful the day can be when following a few common-sense rules, they are eager to participate year after year.”
The 2016 theme, “Make it your business to help pets in need,” highlights the goal behind the day—that through the presence of dogs at work, those who witness the special human-pet bond firsthand will be encouraged to adopt new best friends of their own. Companies and individuals interested in participating are encouraged to download the free 2016 Take Your Dog To Work Day Toolkit. Stultz also notes that companies are attracted to the charitable aspect of the event and see it as a way to give back to their local communities.
The free event toolkit offered by PSI provides step-by-step instructions for planning an event, a sample “dogs at work” policy and customizable forms that companies can use for their events. The toolkit also includes tips about partnering with local pet-rescue organizations and working with local professional pet sitters to assist with the day’s activities.
Companies that may be closed on Fridays or that wish to include other pets in the celebration are encouraged to participate any day during Take Your Pet To Work Week™, June 20-24.
Partnering with PSI to promote this year’s event are print media sponsor Modern Dog magazine and Kurgo®, TYDTWDay photo contest sponsor.
To learn more about TYDTWDay, download event materials or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.takeyourdog.com To learn more about event creator PSI or to find a local professional pet sitter to assist with your event, visit petsit.com.
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About Pet Sitters International
Take Your Dog To Work Day® creator, Pet Sitters International (PSI), is a membership organization for professional pet sitters founded in 1994 by Patti J. Moran. PSI is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, representing nearly 7,000 independent professional in-home pet-care businesses in the United States, Canada and abroad. For more information or to find a local professional pet sitter, visit http://www.petsit.com. To learn more about Take Your Dog To Work Day®, visit http://www.takeyourdog.com.
