Take Your Dog to Work Day on June 20 2014

Friday, June 21st is designated as 2013's Take Your Dog to Work Day. Start lobbying for your workplace's participation!

It was only recently that I became aware that there is an official "Take Your Dog to Work Day." How cool, I thought. As a social worker in a former job, I was able to take my dog to work now and then.

My little Gizmo loved going to work with me and being a part of our pet therapy program for the elderly folks that our facility cared for. But an official day? How did TYDTWDay (nice abbreviation!) get started?

According to takeyourdog.com, Pet Sitters International created this special canine day in 1999. It's a neat idea, but what was the purpose?

Well, besides simply celebrating these wonderful creatures and our undeniable human connection with them, the day's main purpose is to draw attention to and encourage the adoption of dogs from animal shelters and other rescue places.

What a great idea! And it's not far-fetched (no pun intended with the fetching) that seeing warm and wonderful dogs will make people want to adopt their own. See the picture of my cute little guy as a puppy? I fell in love with this type of dog when someone came to our facility with a pup like him. I had never had a dog of my own (except for childhood family dogs), had no plans to get one anytime soon, but that quickly changed when I suddenly had to have one of my own.

Of course, your employer has to give permission for employees to participate in TYDTWDay. Takeyourdog.com offers a downloadable action pack to show to your boss. It gives all the information needed about participation in the event.

If the designated day doesn't work out due to a conflict, there are other days to choose from. The whole week is actually designated as Take Your Pet to Work Week, so there are other days from which to choose. No excuses, bosses! Pick a day!

If you can get your employer to observe Take Your Dog to Work Day, go for it! The benefits are numerous:

• celebrates pets (particularly dogs, obviously)
• can increase adoptions of dogs who need homes
• brings fun and smiles to the workplace
• offers dogs a pleasant outing for the day
• improves health by lowering stress and blood pressure

Well, I could go on about benefits, but those are some major ones that come to mind. If you have the opportunity, take your dog to work. It's a lot of fun! Now I work from home, so I am, in essence, taking my dog to work every day!

Cat lovers aren't left out of sharing the office with their furry felines. The focus isn't just on dogs, but the whole week of Take Your Pet to Work Week does allow for cats, too. As cats are more skittish, be sure your cat has the disposition to handle such a day. Make sure he has a comfortable spot to retreat to in your office--and don't forget the litter box!

You know your cat. Fluffy may be perfectly content to spend her day on your lap at your desk. If you can't feasibly take your cat to work, though, don't worry. This humorous resource shows why your cats aren't jealous and are actually glad that the dog is gone for the day. It also encourages owners to spoil their left-behind cats when they get home.

TakeYourDog.com is a great site. Not only can you learn about Pet Sitters International and the history of taking your pets to work, you can also benefit from several other fun and helpful resources. Here are some of the different things you can find on this pet-friendly site:

• tips on encouraging your workplace to participate in TYDTWDay
• tips on preparing for TYDTWDay
• activities for TYDTWDay
• photo competition of your professional dog (or cat)--you could win $500!
• licensing and sponsorship opportunities
• pet sitter resource
• newsletter subscription with tips on pet care
• cat and dog adoption information

Check out this fun and helpful site!