He "SUPERVISES" a leading provider of test preparation, assessment and college admissions services, the Princeton Review. It's his job to greet employees and visitors to the New York City office, and check out their lunches. He provides humor at serious company meetings by dragging his rear end across the floor and interrupts important conference calls with his demands to be walked. He's Tor, a chocolate Labrador retriever, and according to Harriet Brand, director of public relations, he symbolizes the spiritual atmosphere of The Princeton Review: irreverent, smart and somewhat demanding. Tor is loved by most and tolerated by some. "It helps that he belongs to John Katzman, the CEO," says Brand.

But taking your dog to work isn't just for CEOs anymore. Today, bosses are constantly looking for ways to enhance employee performance, and a recent survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found that having a pet in the office results in more productivity and decreased absenteeism. In addition, many health-enhancing benefits of pet ownership—reduced blood pressure, lower stress levels, and improved overall emotional and physical health—carry over into the office environment. When pets are allowed at work, employees become more motivated, creative and productive.

"Workplaces are one of the most stressful environments that we come in contact with on a daily basis," says Bruce Van Horn, pet guru and author of the forth-coming book Home Alone: Tools to Help Your Pets Overcome Separation Anxiety. According to Van Horn, fear-based motivation triggers stress, which runs rampant through corporate America. "We all fear being fired, and we equate this fear with the fight/flight response," he says. "One solution to corporate stress is to bring pets into the workplace."

There's an office in Chicago where pets are not only welcome, they earn you brownie points. Reining Cats and Dogs Entertainment Incorporated is a production company in Chicago and Los Angeles owned by Julie Lofton, an animal-loving producer and a former stand-up comic and actress. Lofton started her own company at age 24 so that she could run her business her own way, which included bringing her dog, Millie, and her cats, Bean and Batman, to work with her.

The company's job application clearly states that pets are encouraged. "Before every interview, I ask candidates if they are animal-friendly," says Lofton. "If so, I let them know that there are pets in the office and their pets are welcome, too. People get really excited at this notion and are more inclined to work here."

Most of the staff at RCD don't have children, so their dogs and cats serve as substitutes. "Rather than miss their 'kids' while they're at work, they can have them by their side," observes Lofton. "It saves a lot of money on pet sitters, and people are happier to work later hours."

What about bringing your cat to work?

"Dogs are more likely to benefit from this opportunity," says Alice Moon-Fanelli, a certified applied animal behaviorist at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Massachusetts. "Most cats would probably prefer to stay home and wait for their owners' return, although some particularly sociable felines might enjoy the variety."

At Marcus Thomas LLC, a Cleveland-based advertising and public relations agency with 80 employees, the pet-friendly policy is one of the most popular perks. When two of the offices were recently consolidated into one 26,400-square-foot space, architects incorporated pet-friendly amenities into the design, such as removable carpet squares in offices (for accidents) and a polished concrete floor space. Conference rooms are shaped like doghouses and named for pets: "Kings Lair," "Shadow's Shelter" and "Lindy's Hop" are a few.

"We have a very casual, family-friendly atmosphere, so pets are a natural extension to that environment," says Jim Nash, a managing partner at the agency. "When our dogs are around, we take ourselves less seriously. We relax and do a good job thinking about our clients and focusing on their needs."

Although its easier for small offices to allow pets, Nash is proving that size doesn't necessarily matter when it comes to pet-friendly policies. What matters more is corporate culture. It's mostly the creative industries—the arts, entertainment, advertising, public relations—that are blazing a trail to more liberal pet policies.

John Fredericks feels blessed to have worked as a meteorologist for TV stations in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, California, that allowed him, and still allow him, to bring his "best friend" Jordan to work. Fredericks has been on the air at KVBC-TV, the Las Vegas NEC affiliate, since July 1996. So has Jordan. The male yellow Labrador retriever has grown so popular that in public, Fredericks is rarely asked about the weather. "Viewers are more interested in 'how's/where's Jordan?'" says Fredericks. "Jordan's section of the KVBC Web site [kvbc.com] receives more hits than all of our other on-air personalities."

So dogs are stress-relievers and fun to have at work—but can they can create problems? "Oh yes," says Fredericks. He admits that Jordan has been known to lick himself on the air, and has made a couple of remote broadcasts more memorable by relieving himself or paying amorous attention to a poodle. "But he makes me smile, no matter how bad the day is going, not that I have many bad days—I do weather in Las Vegas, for goodness' sakes," Fredericks says. Jordan, he argues, is the perfect employee: "He roams the station, always putting smiles on the faces of my co-workers. He never argues or talks back. He's never late for work. He doesn't get paid — man, does he need an agent. And he never complains about the long hours. Who wouldn't want that kind of employee?"

According to Moon-Fanelli, a dog's presence boosts morale and energy levels in the workplace. But why? "It's love," says Marty Becker, a veterinarian who regularly appears on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America" and the author of The Healing Power of Pets (Hyperion Press). "Imagine having something lying at your feet that loves you so much it will, on occasion, lose bladder control in your honor. A living thing that loves you—and only you—so much it acts like your coming back to your desk from a bathroom break is the arrival of a top movie star at the Oscars. Whether it's the lick of the hand in times of stress without even asking for it, or the reassuring thump of the tail on the cubicle floor, pets are like furry pressure-relief valves, laughter catalysts and mood elevators all rolled into one."

OK. So we love our dogs and they love us. But can offices operate in a sane and productive manner with pets underfoot? "Absolutely," says Siobhan Gray, director of human resources at Rhythm & Hues Studios, a Los Angeles computer animation and visual effects studio. "We integrate 10 to 15 dogs on the premises on any given day and still have a productive environment here by setting guidelines for doggy behavior that the owners must follow. If the guidelines aren't followed, the dog is not allowed at work."

Lofton contends that pets are just as much a part other office as any employee. "If a dog or cat happens to be in the middle of the floor or in your chair, you simply step around them or give them a little nudge," says Lofton. If it's a human, we tend to give them more of a shove."

Some experts believe that having a dog at work helps people reach out to each other. "People attach positive social attributes to pet owners," says Becker. "So when they see you at work with your pet, they think, 'Wow, he or she must be trustworthy, loyal, friendly, kind—a really good person.'"

When Siobhan Gray began her job at Rhythm & Hues, her 6-year-old Labrador retriever mix served as a "social lubricant," she says. "People heard about Lucy, came to meet me, and a terrific side effect was that I got to meet my new co-workers in record time. I can't tell you how nice it was for people to get to know me as Lucy's mom, not just the new HR person."

... Judy Mandell (Magazine writer and book author based in North Garden, Virginia, where she shares her office with two dogs). This article appeared in the January 2004 issue of SKY Magazine.

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