# Dogs at work (indoor office setting) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362 "2011-04-06T04:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/21 "2011-04-06T15:05:42Z")
It depends on the work environment, but I’d love to have a pet-friendly workplace. I currently can’t bring my dog to work, but I know one guy in IT brings his in if he’s working on the weekend. I don’t have a problem with it at all, but understand the no pet rule for people with allergies. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/22 "2011-04-06T15:08:52Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Why should it be incumbent on those who are allergic to dogs to speak up? Offices should start out dog-free by default. But you could say that about _any_ allergy. “All offices should be peanut-free by default.” or “All offices should be fragrance-free by default.” or “Why should it be incumbent on those who are allergic to red dye #4 to speak up? All offices should automatically be redless.” ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/23 "2011-04-06T15:18:27Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > The guy who brings his dog in _every day_? How much time does he spend caring for/playing with/doting on the dog when he should be working, and why does your boss allow it? If the dogs is trained, then probably not a whole lot of time is lost on the dog. For the most part, dogs sleep all day, unlike a child that requires constant supervision and entertainment. Our workplace allows a maximum of two dogs on the premises. The provisions here are that the dog _must_ have had obedience training. For the most part, no one takes advantage of this anyway. I only bring my dog to work when there is an issue at home, like when we have a guy coming in to fix the furnace. He stays on his mat and doesn’t move. If you dote/play/goof around whatever with your dog instead of work, you can expect to be told your mutt isn’t allowed back. If your dog is high energy and races around the office or is yappy, he’s not coming back either. ETA: As for the time required for _caring_ for the dog. I put a bowl of water on the floor and take him for a walk during my lunch hour. That’s it. I waste far more time on the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/24 "2011-04-06T15:21:25Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Some other no-ish answer: > > I like dogs; I enjoy being around them. But at work? It’s just an inappropriate and unnecessary distraction. > The guy who brings his dog in _every day_? How much time does he spend caring for/playing with/doting on the dog when he should be working, and why does your boss allow it? This just seems like it crosses a line. Because I would rather play with the office manager’s bulldog than supervise a bunch of computer nerds? ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/25 "2011-04-06T15:23:39Z")
That’s gonna last right up until about the time the boss rounds the corner to find your rottwieler humping his poodle. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/26 "2011-04-06T15:29:11Z")
With all the other allergy fights I already have to battle in the office (mainly perfume, why can’t people understand that they may smell really good but I don’t want to get a headache), adding dogs would just be another problem that I would have to deal with. As for others above who compared it to a peanut allergy, most people are not allergic to the smell of peanuts (though I am sure it is possible, in which case, the office would have to be peanut free), dog fur and dander gets in the air and cannot necessarily be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/27 "2011-04-06T15:34:21Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Some other no-ish answer: > > I like dogs; I enjoy being around them. But at work? It’s just an inappropriate and unnecessary distraction. > The guy who brings his dog in _every day_? How much time does he spend caring for/playing with/doting on the dog when he should be working, and why does your boss allow it? This just seems like it crosses a line. In my case, the guy doesn’t spend very much time at all. He takes it for a walk a couple of times, but other than that the dog just hangs out in his office, mostly sleeping or just looking around. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/28 "2011-04-06T16:55:18Z")
No’ish answer from me. I, personally, don’t mind dogs. Other people do. Other people are allergic. Unless it was a really small office and everyone was 100% agreeable to it, I’d say no. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/29 "2011-04-06T17:02:53Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > But you could say that about _any_ allergy. “All offices should be peanut-free by default.” or “All offices should be fragrance-free by default.” or “Why should it be incumbent on those who are allergic to red dye #4 to speak up? All offices should automatically be redless.” All offices should be animal and child free by default. Peanuts and perfume, annoying as the latter can be, don’t get up and come to your desk by themselves, wagging their tail and begging for a treat. And as I said, people notoriously and deliberately overestimate the level of “training” their doggies have. Everyone is sooooo confident their fluffikins is well-behaved. I’ll believe it when I see it. We have several dog owners in our office. One of them has wonderfully well-behaved dogs and I like seeing her dogs anytime. The other spoils her pooch rotten and loves him to death - but she doesn’t bring her dog in more than infrequently, and only for 15 minutes or so. I can’t trust everyone to have the same judgement. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/30 "2011-04-06T17:39:30Z")
I voted “no-ish.” I have a friendly, submissive, well-behaved dog, and whenever I’ve been lucky enough to work in an office with a door (as opposed to a cubicle) – like I do now – I frequently wish that I could bring her to work with me: it would be easy as pie to set up a baby gate for containment, and add a dog bed and a water bowl and the people who would invariably come by to pet/play with her and you’d have doggy heaven. But whenever I start to think through the logistics of actually having a dog at work, I can’t get past the folks with allergies/phobias – or, heck, even the folks who just aren’t all that crazy about dogs. Some of those people are very timid and will not speak up for themselves, and I think it’s reasonable for them to expect a dog-free workplace. Also (as others have mentioned), even if everyone agreed to have animals in the workplace, what happens when (1) one employee’s dog behaves badly but the employee thinks the dog is fine, and/or (2) a new employee has an allergy or phobia. There are just too many ways for it to be a bad idea. > [@Dangerosa](#): > > Oh, my wonderful, beautiful, well behaved, very sweet, submissive dog is great with other dogs. We take him to the dog park. He’s well socialized. If I brought him into an office with other dogs, he’d probably do fine. > > With the exception of one little Westie that walks down our street every afternoon. For some reason, my dog HATES that dog with the passion of a thousand suns. Those two dogs in the same office would be a bad situation. > > (I’ve asked my dog why he hates that other dog and he says “head tilt, pant, pant pant, front paw in air.”) This made me laugh out loud not just because of your dog’s response, but because I could say the _exact_ same thing about my Bailey and the French bulldog who lives two doors down: her hatred of that dog has extended to its people, too. It’s ridiculous. 🙂 > [@Anaamika](#): > > Peanuts and perfume, annoying as the latter can be, don’t get up and come to your desk by themselves, wagging their tail and begging for a treat. I agree with you in principle, but perfume-wearers _do_ get up and come to your desk by themselves… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/31 "2011-04-06T19:08:20Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I agree with you in principle, but perfume-wearers _do_ get up and come to your desk by themselves… 😉 And admittedly, dogs are cuter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/32 "2011-04-06T19:11:27Z")
I voted “no”; I can’t think of anything a dog would add to our cubicle environment and I can think of some things that would be a distraction. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/33 "2011-04-06T19:28:30Z")
One of my coworkers brings his dog in with him most days, and everybody loves it. She’s very sweet and well behaved, so it’s nice to have her around. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/34 "2011-04-06T19:33:15Z")
I like dogs, but still, No-ish, for some of the reasons mentioned, plus another that hasn’t been- odors. A guy that worked here (a professional office) for a couple years started bringing in his two BIG dogs once a week. One of them had long hair and just plain smelled bad. The other one farted all the time, much to the amusement of her owner. “DID SHE FART IN YOUR OFFICE AGAIN? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! SORRY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” If my office stinks because your dog wandered in and farted, it may be funny to you, but it sure as hell isn’t to me. As good-natured and well-intentioned as it may have been, I also did not particularly care for the time or two he got on me for walking away for a minute with my lunch unattended on my desk. “Whoa, Dude, you’re sure taking a chance with Sherman around!” I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO FUCKING WORRY ABOUT THE ONLY FOOD I HAVE WITH ME TODAY BEING SNATCHED BY A DOG WHILE I’M AT MY OFFICE. Yeah, all this was a problem with the owner as much as the dogs. But this is exactly the sort of thing mentioned upthread about Wuffles and Marmaduke- as soon as you give the OK for one owner to start bringing their dog, you make it OK for my former co-worker and his big smelly hungry dogs, too. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/35 "2011-04-06T19:39:00Z")
Voted no - too many downsides, too few upsides. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/36 "2011-04-06T20:27:26Z")
No problem at all with it. We have dogs in our office and part of being employed there is “must like dogs.” Don’t like 'em, don’t have to to work here either. I enjoy getting to pet the guard dogs in the morning and tell them goodbye when I close up. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/37 "2011-04-06T20:30:05Z")
Yes-ish. I can’t see it working in many open-plan offices or anywhere with more than, say, ten employees. My own dog probably wouldn’t be appropriate for it either, as she’s still young and lively and loves people too much. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/38 "2011-04-06T21:10:20Z")
Non-service dogs have no place in a medical office or a maximum-security prison. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/39 "2011-04-06T21:11:11Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > No problem at all with it. We have dogs in our office and part of being employed there is “must like dogs.” I think it’s much fairer to implement a “You must like dogs to work here.” vs. “We’ve decided to implement a new policy that you had no idea about when you agreed to work here.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362/40 "2011-04-06T21:22:39Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I think it’s much fairer to implement a “You must like dogs to work here.” vs. “We’ve decided to implement a new policy that you had no idea about when you agreed to work here.” Although I think “you must like dogs to work here” might run you into legal discrimination issues in the U.S. if the reason someone doesn’t like dogs is allergies or a mental health issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dogs-at-work-indoor-office-setting/577362.md?page=3)