Take Your Dog to Work Day helps homeless pets

Friday, June 25, is the sixth annual Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTW Day), and all dog lovers are urged to participate.

Why? Pet Sitters International, which created the event, says there’s a long list of reasons, but the number one reason is because you could save the life of a homeless pet.

In the past, I’ve used this column to tell you about some of the wonderful and heartwarming success stories coming from the thousands of U.S. animal shelters. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough of those happy endings, so millions of homeless pets continue to be euthanized every year (the number is around 20,000 per day.)

“I’m a dog lover, and I have already adopted two great shelter dogs,” you say. “I just can’t take in another one. So what do you want me to do?”

Join in the TYDTW Day activities on June 25 and show a dog-less co-worker the remarkable joys and the many benefits that come from the human-animal bond.

It’s easy to organize events at nearly any business or job. It’s fun to share your workplace experiences with a furry family member.

And it’s an awesome opportunity for folks you work with to meet and get to know a canine co-worker. Perhaps by meeting a four-legged laughter-catalyst and love-machine again, for the very first time (haven’t been around pets since childhood perhaps,) they’ll be smitten.

The goal is to encourage them to adopt a pet from your local shelter, Humane Society or rescue group.

Getting started is easy: Visit www.petsit.com for an action pack with all the information you’ll need. For additional information, send e-mail to patpetsit.com or call PSI at (336) 983-9222. The action pack is full of advice, suggestions and ideas that will help you plan a successful event at your office or job site. You’ll receive an itemized, step-by-step guide to hosting activities, so there’s no need to go into detail here. Call or e-mail today and get started!

This year’s TYDTW Day poster dog is Little Nicky, who has a special tale to tell about the joys of pet adoption. Nicky is a papillon who was given up to an animal shelter when his elderly guardian died. At 10 years old, Nicky was no “spring chicken” himself, and the prospects of finding a new family looked slim. But his happily-ever-after came when Diana and Jim Hamilton, St. Charles, Mo., took him into their home. He specializes in giving hugs to everyone and is now very busy spreading the word about Take Your Dog To Work Day.

Little Nicky is the perfect ambassador to show everyone just how special a day it is — and to emphasize the importance of pet adoptions. It’s not just the cute young puppies that need homes, but dogs of all sizes, shapes and ages — and the senior pets out there are typically marvelous companions.

PSI reports that almost 25 percent of pets available for adoption are purebreds, so no matter what kind of dog someone has in mind, there’s one out there waiting.

“There’s no way we can have dogs at our place of business,” you say. “So what can I do to help?”

There are many, many ways to celebrate the spirit of Take Your Dog To Work Day, even if there’s not a hound in sight!

Pet Sitters International President Patti Moran offers a few suggestions:

• Encourage all employees to bring photos of their dogs and organize a photo contest with a prize for the winner.

• Wear TYDTW Day T-shirts and bandanas and bring dog-bone shaped cookies for morning coffee break.

• Get local shelters, etc., involved. Ask a representative to speak at your office about pet adoptions and bring pictures of pets available for adoption.

• Hold a fund-raiser the week before the event and then donate the proceeds to your local shelter or Humane Society.

TYDTW Day is a single day that can make a big difference in the lives of homeless pets.

But there are ways a business can show that it is pet friendly year-round even if it doesn’t allow dogs in the workplace.

If your company doesn’t offer this type of benefit, submit a suggestion to your supervisor or human resources department. Pet-friendly benefits can include personal time off for a pet’s illness or veterinary visits, bereavement leave for the loss of a pet, pet insurance, or reimbursement for pet-sitting services when traveling on company business.

Our love for pets is reflected in the fact that in any workplace, a majority of the employees are going to be pet owners.

This year, let’s see more of them involved in PSI’s Take Your Dog To Work Day!