Dogs at work

The honest filter: can they settle for four hours in a strange place with strangers moving around, without barking, without following people, and without needing you to manage them constantly? Most dogs cannot, and that is not a flaw. A dog who is stressed all day at your office is having a worse day than one at home.

· A defined spot — a bed or crate under the desk that is theirs, so they are not free-roaming
· A chew or stuffed toy that lasts, given before they get restless rather than after
· A proper midday walk, actually taken
· Water down, and a route to outside that does not cross the whole office
· A closed door or a gate, because an office is full of open doors to a car park

· Never let your dog approach someone who has not invited it. Some colleagues are frightened, allergic, or from cultures where dogs are not pets — all equally valid.
· Clean up immediately and visibly, outside and in
· Take them home the moment they are struggling. One bad afternoon ends the policy for everyone.
· No food from colleagues' desks, and tell people why — xylitol, chocolate and grapes are all normal desk snacks

Propose a trial rather than a policy. Offer to be first, in writing, with specifics: where the dog will be, who is responsible, what happens if it does not work, and what you will do about allergies and anyone uncomfortable. A one-page proposal gets a yes far more often than a request does.

A dog who comes to work every day is a dog who never learns to be alone. If your job changes, or the policy does, you can be left with a dog who has no alone-time tolerance at all. practice it anyway, at home, on the days they stay.

This page is a plan and a conversation. The only thing worth buying is a bed that lives under the desk.

· Society for Human Resource Management (shrm.org) — pet policy guidance
· Americans with Disabilities Act National Network (adata.org) — on the service animal distinction