I’d love to get a dog, but work long hours, I’ve seen people with dogs in other offices in our building and am considering asking I can do the same. I don’t smoke so can use my ‘fag breaks’ to take the dog outside, would go for a long walk first thing in the morning before work and again in the evening with a quick run at lunch time. Does anyone else do similar and if so how do you get on and specifically how did you find it when they were a puppy? Thanks.

Unless you work for your own company AND the landlord will agree, you’ll probably have the dreaded health and safety quoted at you.

Even if you can get through those hoops, I’d not try it with a puppy – they tend to chew everything and pee everywhere. Not really ideal for an office.

My business partner brings his in and I find it very annoying. It was ‘just for a few weeks’ and that was back in October.

It whines, it sniffs around me, it smells, it makes a mess.

I think it is a stupid idea and have never agreed with it.

I might start bring my kids in.

You could try convincing your employer that you’re blind?

Molly is now dog in a van.

Depends on the client for me though – some are happy with it. She’s still a bit ickle to be leaving her in a van on her own…and even so, it would only work on a private driveway.

I can understand m_f’s point of view (now there’s a rarity 😛 ) – if you’re not really a dog person. Especially if it’s one of the big smelly breeds.

My Daisy used to guard the entrance of the workshop for me….she was always much better at giving whithering looks than I’ll ever be…I miss her every day.

Depends on the size of the dog and whether you can get a big enough wok hot enough to properly stir fry it.

In an office, I’d say forget it. Can you guarantee that all your colleagues will love your pooch like you do? If not, it only takes one non-dog-lover to veto it.

I might start bring my kids in.

My daughter would be far more disruptive, disobedient and make a bigger mess than my dog!! She does smell better though.

Yep I bring my dog into work, boss doesn’t mind as he brings his in also. I do pretty much what you suggest, short walk at lunch and let out the door a couple of times during the day. Proper walkies at night.

I’d love to bring mine in to work, but have had H&S quoted at me already, together with fleas. I think my older dog would be ok with the office, but the younger one might just try and climb on things, specifically the sofas we have here. The older one might attempt to mark the odd PC too, so maybe not a good idea.

I did bring the younger one in once when he was a puppy, but it was after he’d had his first set of jabs, so all he did was curl up on my lumper on my lap and go to sleep until I went home.

I have been bringing dogs into an office for years now. People complain when one of my three isn’t in, it is very good stress relief but only if everyone agrees!

We now have a Bull Mastiff and my Beardie, the mastiff makes uninvited Reps hesitate!

I have an old risk assessment that i did when i started bringing my dog in. not hard i just adapted the same one we had for kids! might be useful to some?

I have been bringing dogs into an office for years now

AAMOI – how many people in your office?

H&S argument is just a nonsense. Dogs aren’t unhealthy or dangerous to be around.

My dog goes to my wife’s office every day. There are quite a few dogs there. Obviously owners are expected to take it seriously and dogs must be under control. There are sales people there on the phone, so barking is a complete no-no. Wife takes dog out for a run-around at lunchtime, usually with one of her office doggie friends.

Glenp – what about people with allergies? People who simply don’t like dogs?

They are an H&S risk – of course they are. However that is not insurmountable. Suitable risk assessments and so on .

In the area the 2 dogs are there are 6 people more in the rest of the place – why?

dog’s have no place within an office, or inside the home for that matter. KENNEL heard that word? have one outside your place of work, leave the dog in there, stop trying to humanize your pet.

Weird. I don’t like dogs – they make me nervous to be around, even if they are friendly and my objective risk of being bitten is small. I know I’m not the only person who feels like that, and I would NEVER accept a job in an office with dogs in. I just can’t imagine an office that allows people to bring dogs – (what happens if it pisses on a computer?)

dog’s have no place within an office, or inside the home for that matter. KENNEL heard that word? have one outside your place of work, leave the dog in there, stop trying to humanize your pet.

You know, you really do talk utter codswallop. Who are you to tell anyone whether their dog should be in their home, or indeed their office if the relevant permissions are granted.

There’s load of dogs at my work already! Ba-doom-tish!

Jeremy, oh Jeremy… I’m being misogywotzit!

Have to say, I’d love a dog, but I’m very glad I work for a company where it just wouldn’t be acceptable to have them running around.

H&S argument is just a nonsense. Dogs aren’t unhealthy or dangerous to be around.

they are for me – allergies. and according to the doc controlling those allergies through medication will only serve to worsen my breathing problems in later life.

I’d be seriously put out if there was a dog in here.

Who are you to tell anyone whether their dog should be in their home, or indeed their office if the relevant permissions are granted.

Dunno – I guess you could say that it is similarly OK for your colleagues to sit around naked **** off into a tennis sock – it doesn’t harm anyone. I just find it inconsiderate and inappropriate. Maybe I am the one who is being unreasonable …

taking dogs to work is as bad as sharing a desk with a colleague who smokes, that said, they do have to go and stand in their outdoor kennel should they wish to pet their carcinogen.

Usual disclaimers apply; I do actually like dogs but…

I am staggered that anybody would consider bringing a pet dog to work with them. This has got to be the most selfish, antisocial act possible with a dog and I can’t believe employers allow it. In my office we receive overseas visitors and they come mostly from countries where dogs are not kept as pets so they are usually scared of dogs.

if dogs are allowed then why not other pets?

lets have a think about this:

dogs: no matter how much you love a dog and how well trained and behaved they are, they can still go mental and bite someone.

cats: i’m allergic, go away.

snakes: health and safety would mean you’d have to tape them down to make them less of a trip hazard.

parrot: likely to repeat the nasty things you say about your boss, office supply of crackers greatly reduced.

angry gay muslim swan: too sensitive to handle the office banter.

rabbit: likely to start a fight with the swan.

see, no chance of this working out.

God there are some pedants around. OK, some people have allergies, in which case that would need to be taken into account. OK, you need to stop them “running around” – that’s just painfully bleedin’ obvious. As for “peeing on a computer” – well, it might be a good idea if the dog is house trained. Obviously.

So – what I should have said is that there is nothing intrinsically unsafe about being around dogs, notwithstanding badly trained animals and exceptional medical conditions. Plus you may just not like dogs – in which case the office would need to make sure that there is a level of consent.

“They can still go mental and bite somebody.” That’s just really funny.

phil – no matter what you say, it is NOT ok to go running around with your snake hanging out!!

Dear oh dear calm down people!
This is why it needs the agreement of everyone in the vicinity

Shocking though it may seem to some of you some dogs are even allowed in hospitals – they are called PAT dogs as they are shown to help people.

Well here’s mine at work with me. (in an office)

Taken 5 mins ago

Flame on!

oh yeah, dogs are safe and friendly

DOGS CAN CAUSE BREAST CANCER

and its from the Daily Mail so it MUST be true, on that basis I think we should tell the smokers to stop huddling up to each other for warmth and tell em to come back in and spark up, just don’t use the mutt as an ashtray?

I would happily welcome dogs at work rather than having to look at those maggots in the office. Maggots they are and what an infestation. I step on them. Bloody maggots!

glenp, its true. i dont feel the need to explain the whole story, but it happened to one of our dogs, complete change in behaviour over the course of an evening, initiated by a random attack on a long-term family friend who had known and also loved the dog for many years. vets said possible tumor or something and with the new behaviour we were advised to have her put down.

oh what a happy day that was.

all he did was curl up on my lumper on my lap

um….i beg your pardon?

dogs: no matter how much you love a dog and how well trained and behaved they are, they can still go mental and bite someone.

You are hereby summoned to be bitten by my dog for saying such silly things.

I think from now on we should have a rule whereby if we cannot create a hard and fast rule about something within the first page of posting, it should just be banned outright. That way, you could all refer to the rules in times of conflict over babies on planes, dogs in offices, helmets on forums heads and we could all have a much nicer time.

i love dogs, dont get me wrong, i think they’re fantastic animals. and torm… i’m looking forward to being bitten by your dog, hopefully in a rolling around on the floor playing like a loon kinda way 😀

EDIT – double post

There’s plenty of dogs already there.

Torm – FGS man. You need to start a thread about that in order for us to gain agreement!

complete change in behaviour over the course of an evening, initiated by a random attack on a long-term family friend who had known and also loved the dog for many years. vets said possible tumor or something and with the new behaviour we were advised to have her put down.

the exact same thing happened to my Cousin, she was pinned down by a family’s lab which then tore her face apart. 100% out of character for the dog. The Vet said that it wasn’t uncommon for this to happen with dogs, esp labs.

still I’m not opposed to dogs, as long as they are kept outside and are treated AS DOGS, what possible benefit to the office working day could having dog inside afford?

oh and they can cause cancer remember.

What about a Buddhist swan (gay or otherwise); should promote peace and harmony, and if it doesn’t, there’s always something for lunch.