Work is such a dog’s life

Several blocks away, the siren of a fire truck sounds through neighboring streets. Lily stands at the window and begins a mournful cry.

Janice Simchuk, co-owner of Inland Psychology and Psychiatry, walks across the room and covers and rubs Lily’s ears.

“I’ve got her trained,” Simchuk says, “so when I rub her ears, she stops howling.”

Lily is a 5½-year-old black Lab that the Spokane psychotherapist reluctantly bid on at a charity auction more than five years ago.

The two are now inseparable, Simchuk says, and Lily is as at home in a downtown office full of therapists and psychiatrists as she is walking down Main Avenue at lunchtime.

“When Lily was 6 months old, she couldn’t handle the separation anxiety, and neither could I,” says Simchuk. “She’s been with me at work ever since.”

Lily and Simchuk aren’t the only canine-human duo that have taken daily companionship to a higher level.

Next Friday has been declared Take Your Dog to Work Day. Pet Sitters International created and sponsors the program, now in its 11th year, as a way of raising awareness about animal shelters and pet adoption.

The website, www.takeyourdog.com, includes information about the event, including tips on how to prepare your dog for visiting your work environment (assuming your employer allows it).

Lily’s presence in the office has been integrated into Simchuk’s psychotherapy practice.

“She knows when people are in trouble,” says Simchuk. “A woman came into my office one day very distressed and Lily seemed to know immediately. She walked across the room and laid down right on top of the woman’s feet.”

Lily also has a calming effect on children, she says.

“When kids come in, they often think of this as a scary place. They don’t know where they are,” Simchuk says. “They arrive nervous, but then see the dog and go right to the floor.”

Sometimes, Simchuk says, she conducts the whole session sitting on the floor with the child and the dog.

Therapists aren’t the only ones who find the healing power of having a dog nearby. Gonzaga University professors Robert Prusch and Colleen McMahon have for years been bringing their dogs to work with them.

Maggie, a 4-year-old Australian Labradoodle, accompanies McMahon to work each day.

“For me it’s wonderful to come back from teaching a class and have this sweet animal wagging her tail and so very happy to see me,” says the associate professor of communication arts.

The dog’s presence helps homesick students as well.

“I have lots of students talk about missing their dogs,” McMahon says. Students will stop by her office after class and ask if they can pet Maggie.

Biology professor Prusch also has found that bringing Garth, his 4-year-old standard poodle, to work bridges gaps between students and teachers.

“This is their first time away from home and their support system. It can be a stressful situation,” he says. “Bringing Garth into class provides stress relief for the students and makes it easier to establish a nonthreatening relationship.”

Bringing dogs to work throughout his career has had the unexpected benefit of comforting co-workers who were grieving the loss of a pet, Prusch says.

“Over the years, I’ve had three cases of faculty members whose own dog had died,” he says. “They came to visit one of my dogs as part of the recovery process.”

Bringing dogs to work not only has emotional benefits for the animals and their owners, but some studies indicate companies could reap financial benefits.

In a 2006 CNN Money Poll, two-thirds of dog owners surveyed said they would work more hours if they could bring their pooch to work. One-third said they’d be willing to take a 5 percent pay cut if their dogs could accompany them.

While she sometimes worries that people will think bringing her dog to work will look unprofessional, Simchuk has spoken openly to her peers and co-workers and always lets a new patient know, before coming in, that Lily will be hanging out in her office.

She’s realistic, however.

“If everyone decided to bring their dog to the office, I’m not sure my situation would work,” admits Simchuk.

Lily is highly socialized, she adds, and that makes a big difference.

“I do believe animals have feelings and emotions,” says Simchuk. “And dogs are pack animals, just like us.”

But her reasoning for bringing a dog to work is even simpler than that: “Who wouldn’t want to be loved unconditionally all day long?”