Take Your Dog to Work Day is coming up. On June 24th, people all around the world will pack up Fido, a few dog treats, and a water bowl, and head to work with their best friend in tow.
Origins
Take Your Dog to Work Day was first celebrated back in 1999, when the company Pet Sitters International (PSI) set out to promote the adoption of shelter dogs and to celebrate the wonderful companions that dogs make.
The actual date varies and is celebrated on the first Friday after Father’s Day. In conjunction with Take Your Pet to Work Week, which is always celebrated the week before, Pet Sitters International believes non-pet owners will be treated to the love and affection pets provide. They can learn something from the pet and owner bond that will hopefully prompt them to consider adopting a pet of their own.
Of course Pet Sitters International has their bottom line in mind as they promote Take Your Dog to Work Day. Those who celebrate are reminded that on all the days they can’t take their dog to work, that Pet Sitters International offers a free locator that pairs dog and other types of pet owners with a professional pet sitter in their area.
How is this Day Celebrated?
There’s really no way to know exactly how many businesses celebrate this day in June. PSI estimates that about 100 businesses celebrated in the very first Take Your Dog to Work Day in 1999, and they believe even more take part these days. They do track interest in their website, and they report that hundreds of thousands of visitors visit TakeYourDog.com each year. Both Facebook and Twitter feature Take Your Dog to Work Day pages, that can be found by a search for TYDTWDay on each social media site.
There’s quite a fuss made over all the dogs (and their owners, too) who participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day. Lots of love abounds, as do head rubs, belly scratches, and the giving and receiving of many dog treats.
The Downside
For the most part, there is really just one downside to Take Your Dog to Work Day, and that involves the messes that dogs in unfamiliar environments often make. Some businesses have a maid service that comes in at the end of every day, and is likely equipped to take care of these messes, but surely very few leave them for others to clean up.
That said, it’s important to know how to clean up the mistakes dogs make when celebrating this day. A typical maid service you might hire to clean your home is likely to use non-toxic products to clean with. It’s easy to use non-toxic products to clean the messes your dog may make.
For example, white vinegar and baking soda are excellent products for cleaning up dog (or any other type of pet) urine. If you find a urine spot that is still wet, blotting the area with a paper towel is the best way to begin. Mixing equal parts white vinegar and water, then pouring it generously over the stain is the next step. After blotting the area once again with a clean paper towel and allowing it to dry, the stain should be gone.
If dog urine has dried, sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda over the stain. Allowing it to remain there for a couple of hours and then vacuuming up the mess should result in no stain or odor.
When cleaning dog feces, following the aforementioned steps after removing the feces should result in a clean, odor-free area. If these do an okay job, but leave trace amounts of staining or odor, pouring club soda directly on the remaining stain should help.
You might like Cleaning Dog Gear—Keeping Fido’s Belongings in Check.
Will You Celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day?
Does traveling with your dog make you wish you had a maid service for your destination—or maybe for your car? If you know that’s a big issue, maybe Take Your Dog to Work Day isn’t right for you and your dog.
If you work outdoors, however, or have a dog that asks to go out whenever the need arises, then Take Your Dog to Work Day might be a fun adventure for you and your dog—as well as for your co-workers. If even just one of them chooses to adopt a dog based on your pet’s relationship with you, then something really wonderful will have happened.
Read these Awesome Ideas for Dog Sharing — Spread the Happiness.