The German Animal Welfare Federation and the food brand Cesar are jointly calling for participation in the annual "Colleague Dog" campaign day on June 6. On this "trial day", companies can see for themselves that dogs are an enrichment in the office. According to studies, dogs boost employee motivation, increase job satisfaction and have a positive influence on the working atmosphere. However, the needs of the dogs and the employees must be taken into account. Employers who present themselves as dog-friendly by taking part in the "Colleague Dog" campaign day also increase their attractiveness for many potential employees. Registration is possible at www.tierschutzbund.de/kollege-hund.
"Dogs are part of the family and want to be part of everyday life. For employees, however, this does not take place at home for most of the day. Many dogs then spend their time waiting for their owners for hours on end. To prevent this from happening and to make it possible to combine taking the dog home with the working day, we have launched the "Colleague Dog" campaign day. In this way, we also want to relieve the burden on animal shelters, where dogs are often handed in due to a lack of time," says Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
"Over a third of all Germans say that they don't get a pet because no one can look after them when they are at work1. We want to specifically break down this barrier to pet ownership with the "Colleague Dog" campaign day - especially as we know that dog-friendly offices can be an absolute asset not only for the animals themselves, but also for employees and employers. It's not just surveys that show this, we feel it every day in our own offices, where dogs have been welcome for over 25 years," says Tomasz Pawlowski, Managing Director of Mars Pet Nutrition Germany, which is co-organizing the campaign day with its Cesar brand.
The German Animal Welfare Federation first announced the day of action 16 years ago to encourage employers to overcome any reservations they may have about dogs in the office so that more dog owners are allowed to bring their pets to work. A dog-friendly company could even increase the chances of finding homes for shelter dogs, whose adoption often fails due to the fact that potential adopters are working, despite more people working from home. Allowing the dog into the office is not only positive for the pet owner: 56 percent of employees stated in a survey that dogs in the office reduce stress at work2. Employees in a dog-friendly working environment are also three times more likely to report a positive working relationship with their superiors and colleagues3. As some people unfortunately suffer from allergies to animal hair or are afraid of dogs, these points should be clarified before your animal colleague's first day in the office - as well as whether they are suitable to be brought into the office due to their individual character traits.
Design a dog-friendly workplace
With regard to animal welfare, it should be of central importance that the four-legged friend feels comfortable in the office. It is also important to give the dog plenty of exercise before it starts work so that it is happy to retreat to its basket afterwards where it can sleep and rest undisturbed. Water should always be available. If he gets bored, a dog toy that doesn't squeak can help. During the lunch break, which should be dedicated to the dog, everyone benefits from the exercise in the fresh air when walking the dog together with colleagues.
Owners or employees of companies that welcome dogs into the office on the campaign day or even permanently can register at www.tierschutzbund.de/kollege-hund-anmeldung until June 6. All participants will receive a Cesar surprise package and helpful information material, tips and templates that show how everyday working life with dogs can be a success. Each company will then receive a certificate recognizing it as particularly dog-friendly. In the event that dogs are even allowed to enrich everyday office life on a permanent basis, the company can use a "dogs welcome" logo for its external presentation - for example in the entrance area or on its own website.
Note to editors: An information flyer on the "Colleague Dog" 2024 campaign day, which includes further facts and figures on dogs in the workplace, can be found here.
Sources:
1 State Of Pet Homelessness Index – survey commissioned by Mars Petcare (2023): https://cms.stateofpethomelessness.com/s3media/2024-01/soph-germany.pdf?VersionId=IOhnwBTOIYukiHAu4dOj81H4hext.DXD
2 Representative online survey by Statista on behalf of Mars Petcare on the topic of "pet ownership" (2019): https://deu.mars.com/news-stories/articles/umfrage-hamburg-ist-tierlieb-stellt-tierhalter-aber-dennoch-vor-huerden?language_content_entity=de
3 Nationwide/HABRI study (2018): https://habri.org/research/mental-health/workplace-wellness/
