And will Fido be on the payroll?

[Wavicle]

I would have your mom focus on the out of control dogs. If it is only a couple well behaved dogs, there will be less dander and she will better be able to avoid them. Dogs roaming everywhere that aren't even potty trained is much much different than a couple dogs quietly sitting at their owner's desk.

I would also have her focus on the health aspect and the fact that medication is not 100% effective and can have side effects. People also tend to think allergies are just uncomfortable. As someone else pointed out, allergies can open you up to more issues. It stresses out your body, and some things (like my stupid eczema ) directly open you up to more infections.

[rose red]

I'm afraid of dogs, even quiet ones that just like to sit in the same spot all day.  I would not be able to be an employee or a client with a firm like this.  I would hate not being able to do business with a good company and have to go to the competitor just because of my fear, but I will.

Not to say I hate dogs.  If I see one being harmed, I will overcome my fear and save/defend them.  But I feel a business is not the place for pets.  And this business is telling at least one person that dogs are more important than her, an employee of 20 years.  And how many excellent potential employees and clients will they lose in the future?

[Punky B.]

I love dogs and would go out of my way to patronize an office that had a well behaved dogs policy.  I go to an art gallery that has a dachshund and I will pop in just to say hi to the dog and often pick something up while I am in there.

Your mother's health is very important, and her boss should be working with her to minimize the allergens as much as possible.  If boss is adamant about the dog being there I'm not sure what else she can do...

[lolane]

So, I guess my questions are 1) how can she get it across that an employees comfort should be put above a dog 2) when did it become acceptable to bring your dog everywhere and 3) would you be put off while looking for professional services (think law firm or accounting office) if there a bunch of dogs out and about?

1. Can they create a dog free zone for your mother? If she doesn't have an office can they provide her with one along with a dog gate that would keep the dogs our of her area? Can they designate certain public spaces that your mother must work in as dog free as well (like the conference room, copy room, break room, etc.) Could they designate certain times of the day as dog play times and then require the owners to keep the dogs by them at all other times?

2. Some workplaces allow dogs. My workplace is pet friendly and we offer professional services. It has not yet affected our business. Some people will not want to work for our company and some people will not want to do business with our company, but a surprising number of people seek our company out for both employment and services because they enjoy our dog friendly environment (some of our clients bring their dogs when they visit). I think this is one of those things where the business can choose to have dogs if they want and possible clients can choose whether or not they want to do business with them based on that fact. I will say that my company does have dog free zones but we haven't had anyone ask to be in them.

I am one of those people that take my dog with me almost everywhere she is allowed. Of course, I never take her places where dogs aren't allowed, but I do often plan vacations around dog friendly hotels and eateries that have outdoor dog friendly seating. If someone seems uncomfortable with her presence then I try to accommodate them (like in an elevator in a dog friendly hotel I'll let the person go before me and wait for the next one if they look uncomfortable with riding with me). Again, not everyone will like it, but if I am not violating laws or rules of the establishment and I remain courteous to others, I really don't see the etiquette violation in bringing my dog with me.

3. I personally love to do business with companies that have dog friendly environments and I do seek them out when possible.

[NOVA Lady]

I don't think its wrong for an office to be dog friendly. I would happily patronize an office with quiet, well behaved, and calm dogs. I would not want to patronize an office where there was even 1 loud, untrained, and urinating (!!) dog.

I think your mom should approach this from an angle on what limits can be set around the dog policy. Unless the boss is completely unreasonable he should seethe value of outlining the dog at work policy. Maybe say, "Hey Boss, there are so many more people here than 5 years ago! What would you think about setting up a policy regarding dogs in the office" or however it is she talks with her boss.

Having a policy is a good thing, it seems disgusting that they let dogs (or anyone!) go to the bathroom in the communal office space. I love animals very much (mostly cats!) but I can't work with animal waste product in my work area!!!

[JoanOfArc]

I agree there needs to be a policy as to dogs in the office.  I think dog-friendly businesses are great, but only if the dogs are well behaved and calm.  OP, your mother needs to discuss this with the boss and make clear her needs (for her workplace to be a dog-free zone? only well behaved dogs allowed?  people to be aware of her allergies and take them into consideration?)   I don't see her being able to get the workplace dog-free- the workplace has apparently been dog friendly for a long time.  But since their are more dogs than before, some rules are needed.

[MeowMixer]

Thank you for all the responses!

I talked to my mom tonight about it and she actually told me her boss was mad at her for saying that she didn't want all the dogs there although, I think Boss Lady was mad at herself as well because she didn't exactly clear it with anyone else, and another coworker, Ben, has also expressed to her that he did not want another dog in there. Still no reason to get mad at mom, she has every right to be concerned about her health. My dad is quite angry.

Side story, the two pugs today actually kept running in and out of Ben's office much to his chagrin. Clerk Girl in charge of the little terrors finally corralled them in her office after the second one decided he needed to add a piece of himself to the carpet.

In answer to the queries about a possible dog free area - She does have her own office with a door, but it's not really feasible to keep it closed all day because she has clients coming in and out often, and the ventilation is so poor in that building (it's older) that it becomes unbearably stuffy in there.

With the first dog when the lady needed to go to court the pup was just left behind to hang out with whomever wanted to give her attention, which no one seemed to mind since we all loved her. So it's also concerning that the same thing is going to happen with new guy. We don't know anything about this dog as of yet, we'll know when he starts in a couple of weeks.

My mom says she is going to take a wait and see approach, as this will technically be the first 'full time' furry since the first dog passed away. But she said she's not taking any medications for it. But I'm going to give her a link to this thread. She shouldn't let it go on too long or else she wont win this battle.

IMHO, I like dog friendly businesses, I go to meet my b/f with our dog when his shift ends because they have dogs in and out of there all day (and all the 'regulars' know where to go and who to give doe eyes to for cookies), but this a law office. I don't find it appropriate.

I don't know if it will ever be dog-free, and I don't think that's what my mom is angling for, it's the fact that it's basically a guarantee that there will be at least one dog there every single day.

[lolane]

In answer to the queries about a possible dog free area - She does have her own office with a door, but it's not really feasible to keep it closed all day because she has clients coming in and out often, and the ventilation is so poor in that building (it's older) that it becomes unbearably stuffy in there.

Perhaps she can get one of those dog gates that also opens up like a door so that people can easily pass through them - I think they may actually be baby gates, but I'm sure you (general) could also use it for dogs. That way her office door can remain open, clients can walk through without having to step over a gate, and the dogs are kept out. Plus, since the boss already offered to pay for an inhaler, she should be okay with paying for the gate. In fact, they could offer gates to everyone who wants one.

Given the bosses initial reaction, I definitely think that coming up with solutions/compromise is going to work better to get a positive reaction from the boss. I know that there are lots of sample dog policies online, perhaps she could find a few and present them to her boss as a way to protect people AND other dogs in addition to the gate idea.

[browzer11]

It's late. I'm tired. I'm grumpy. But I must respond.

A dog friendly office

When did this sort of nonsense start?

I can't believe I'm actually reading this. I feel bad for the people involved, but if the boss condones it,
what can you do. By the way, I do love pets.

[NOVA Lady]

It's late. I'm tired. I'm grumpy. But I must respond.

A dog friendly office

When did this sort of nonsense start?

I can't believe I'm actually reading this. I feel bad for the people involved, but if the boss condones it,
what can you do. By the way, I do love pets.

There was at least one person on this thread who works in a dog friendly office and enjoys. Many of us would patronize a pet friendly business if they did it "right".No need to feel bad for all the people involved. Some people are unhappy with it, but other people very much enjoy the pet friendly atmosphere...

[sparklestar]

I'm all for dog friendly offices, but it sounds like the dogs are running this office!  Your mum shouldn't be subjected to this nonsense, the dogs should be either in their owners' offices or tied to the desk on a leash if they can't sit there quietly by themselves. 

And the boss should be paying for the air purifiers and baby gates and whatever else your mum can do to make the office less dogified.  It's a little bit like if he'd offered one of the new hires reduced hours to get them to sign on.  Someone still has to make up the other hours in that job and Boss has to pay for them.  Same thing here, he's offering the perk of being able to bring the dog in as an incentive, but it costs him the renovations/accommodations for your mum.

I used to work in a dog friendly office and take my dog in every day.  He sat under my sofa in my office and was thoroughly vile/cute in equal measures to people who came through the door.  Had I not had my own office, this dog would not have been suitable for a dog-friendly office and would not have been taken to the office.  If he was misbehaving and I had a visitor coming in (or if the visitor didn't like dogs - they were ALWAYS asked first) we'd use a conference room.  The other dogs were slightly more free reining in the office since they were much better behaved.  An elderly labrador who used to retrieve the pieces of paper that people missed the bin with, and a surprisingly quiet puppy who mostly slept all day after her long walks at lunchtime. 

[Kiara]

I'm slightly confused over one thing.

Boss said he'd pay for inhalers.  Shouldn't your mother's insurance cover that?  Why would the boss have to pay?  Unless you're in a country where you can get albuterol over the counter...and that's a rescue med.  It just smacks to me of "Here's an empty gesture for you...I'll pay for something you can get through insurance anyway."

[lolane]

It's late. I'm tired. I'm grumpy. But I must respond.

A dog friendly office

When did this sort of nonsense start?

I can't believe I'm actually reading this. I feel bad for the people involved, but if the boss condones it,
what can you do. By the way, I do love pets.

As, I posted in an earlier message, I work in a dog friendly office and neither the business or it's employees seem to be suffering too much. A company with a properly implemented dog policy can function quite professionally. I think you'll find many examples of dog friendly offices if you search the phrase on the Internet, so while it may not be common in many areas, it's not rare, especially in certain parts of the country. The problem in this case doesn't seem, IMO, to be that the office is dog friendly, but rather that the office has no policy to deal with the animals or employees who don't want to be around them.

[Flora Louise]

Who is expected to clean up after the dogs in a dog-friendly place? I can just see some poor assistant being told to clean up after someone else's dog.

And, what about the smell? How often have we heard posters here complain about perfume on a co-worker. Imagine the odor from a group of dogs.

I'm with your mom and Ben, OP.  Dogs in the office doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

[Two Ravens]

Who is expected to clean up after the dogs in a dog-friendly place? I can just see some poor assistant being told to clean up after someone else's dog.

And, what about the smell? How often have we heard posters here complain about perfume on a co-worker. Imagine the odor from a group of dogs.

I'm with your mom and Ben, OP.  Dogs in the office doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

If a dog is housebroken, there is no need to "clean up" after them.  I would presume their owners take them out regularly.

Also, if a dog is properly groomed, there should be no smell.  Our dogs never smelled (Well...unless they were gassy, but that was not usual)