Dogs in the Workplace

I have the good fortune to bring Nigel to work with me whenever I want.   Nigel has a bed right next to my desk.  I like looking over at him, and I really, really like getting out of the building to take him for a brief mid-day walk.  Turns out, having Nigel here, is probably good for my health.  I hope it's good for his, too.

Juanishia, one of our
Adoption Coordinators,
and her dog, Lady.

According to a recent Virginia Commonwealth University study, researchers compared employees who bring their dogs to work, employees who do not bring their dogs to work and employees without pets in the areas of stress, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and support.

“Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference,” said principal investigator Randolph T. Barker, Ph.D., professor of management in the VCU School of Business.

“The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant.”

To read more about the benefits of dogs in the workplace go to

http://www.news.vcu.edu/news/Benefits_of_Taking_Fido_to_Work_May_Not_Be_Far_Fetched

Maybe a study on dogs in the classroom is in order.   I believe that students will be more engaged with learning if they can take a dog-petting break now and then.