Today is officially Take Your Dog to Work Day. We are so lucky at VetStem to have a pet friendly office. On any given day, there may be multiple dogs in our office. We can pretty much always count on Ben, Dr. Harman’s border collie, coming to work with his dad. Another regular visitor is Darby, our resident crazy Frenchie owned by customer service manager, Veronika. And while we have had cats in the office on occasion, most of our cats prefer the comfort of their own homes!

We of course love all the extra puppy snuggles here at VetStem, but there is another potential benefit too! Did you know that there is a potential correlation between bringing your dog to work and a reduction in stress levels? That’s right! In a preliminary study published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, scientists found that people who took their dogs to work reported lower stress throughout the day than employees without pets or those who had pets but didn’t take them to work. Pretty cool, huh?

A more recent study conducted by Nationwide Pet Insurance in partnership with the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute found that 90 percent of employees in pet friendly workplaces feel highly connected to their company’s mission, fully engaged with their work, and willing to recommend their employer to others. Additionally, more than three times as many employees at pet friendly workplaces report a positive working relationship with their boss and co-workers and are more likely to stay with a company long term. You can read more about the study findings here.

So, the next time your dog is giving you the sad puppy eyes as you get ready to leave for work, consider bringing them along. And if your employer is not pet friendly, you are always welcome to come visit our furry friends!