Paw-fect pets: Man's best friend a hit at workplaces

This national celebration usually means spending all day with your furry friend and avoiding the puppy dog eyes when you leave for the office in the morning.

But with so many dog owners working from home, their canine companions haven't been far from their side- and dogs have been loving it!

This year organisers behind the popular charity day have decided to turn it into an exciting "day in" to make the special bond we have with our pawsome pals.

There will be plenty of interactive doggie fun with four online dog shows for dogs and their owners and families who have been ‘working’ together at home.

Whether your pooch has been interning for you, running your zoom calls, helping with home schooling, or just helpfully licking the plates in a pre-rinse, Bring Your Dog To Work Day, founded by HOWND, is going to be a huge celebration of all the joyful contributions your best friends have made during the lockdown.

A host of dog-loving celebrities including EastEnders star Michelle Collins, Downton Abbey’s Peter Egan, celebrity vet Marc Abraham and Anna Webb, author and host of BBC’s The Barking Hour, will judge the four shows.

Places can be booked online for a donation of £10 per four-legged entrant per household with all money going to animal welfare charities, including All Dogs Matter and Animals Asia.

The first show, between 11am and 12pm will be Britain’s Best-Behaved Office Dog - has your dog worked really hard and deserves a big pawmotion?

Between 1pm and 2pm will be Lockdown Hero - has your dog gone that extra mile for you at home or cheering up your neighbours?

There's bound to be plenty of laughs from 3pm to 4pm when it's Best Lookalike to pet parent or celebrity – does your dog look like you, your nan or someone famous?

Finally, it's time dedicated to young dog fanatics - the competition for Child Handler will run between 5pm and 6pm - Kids what do you like doing best with your pooch? Now is your chance to show everyone what they can do.

Other animals will also share some of the spotlight as the event will also include an exclusive Moon Bear experience live from China.

For the first time viewers in the UK will be able to see the rescued bears forage for their enrichment treats at Animals Asia’s sanctuary in China and will also meet two of the sanctuary's resident dogs Muppet and ToZhai who were rescued from the meat trade. The event will also include a question and answer session with the chief executive and founder of Animals Asia after the event. Tickets for this unique experience are limited and are available for a £33 donation.

Each year #Bringyourdogtoworkday trends at number one on twitter, with 65k Instagram users following the hashtag. Event organisers be posting highlights and updates on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter throughout the day and giving shoutouts to dog show winners and business sponsors during the day.

Dog owners can upload a pooch selfie for a £10 donation to our Dog With A Job Hall of Fame competition - with three lucky dogs and their parents scooping up prizes worth hundreds of pounds.

Jo Amit, founder of Bring Your Dog To Work Day and co-owner of ethical pet product company HOWND says: “For many people this is the last working from home Friday before some of us go back to our offices, with or without our dogs.

"We know from our own experience what a joy it has been having dogs in the “office” or “school room” when things have sometimes been stressful.

"Dogs always contribute positively to our mental health and have really stepped up during lockdown. They’ve brought happiness and comfort, kept us company and got us out of our homes to exercise.

"We’re proud to be involved in something that is doing good and also bringing a lot of joy to the workplace.”

To enter a dog show or book tickets for the moon bear experience, go to www.bringyourdogtoworkday.co.uk/live-stream

We spoke to dog owners from across the area about their beloved four-legged friends...

Rebecca Head and Lena

Rebecca Head, a director at Four Oaks Legal Services in Lichfield, loved taking her four-year-old rescue dog Lena, a Podenco Anduluz, who she rescued from a Greek shelter, to work with her.

Unfortunately, the wills and probate solicitor is no longer able to take Lena to work - due to an allergy issue with others working in the company’s building in Davidson Road - which she really misses and so do some clients. But, prior to lockdown, she was still taking Lena with her on some home visits.

The 40-year-old said: “I used to bring Lena to work because she created a happy atmosphere for all the staff.  She greeted everyone enthusiastically every morning and helped get the day off to a great start!  She was very quiet and lay under a desk next to me for most of the day.

“Lots of our clients knew that she came to work with me and would ask to see her if she was in the office. I would definitely recommend it.

“I also pop her in the car with me when I go and do home visits to see clients at times - and again all my clients used to ask to see her and would often give her a biscuit!”

Rebecca’s colleagues are all dog lovers too. Director and commercial solicitor Stuart McIntosh has a Saluki called Ben, believed to be aged around 12, who’s been his companion for eight years. And wills and probate solicitor Joanna Parkin has a Great Dane called Oz - but at 10.5 stone he’d be far too big to take into work!

Jordan Peters and Mortimer

Carpenter and landscape gardener Jordan Peters, Director of Mortimers Landscaping and Mortimers Workshop, takes his 17-month-old working Cocker Spaniel Mortimer, to work with him every day.

The 26-year-old, of Yoxall, said: “I’ve always wanted a dog, however I wanted to only get a dog when I could give him/her the best life possible. Mortimer has been coming to work with me since he was eight weeks old, he is my companion and work partner and keeps me on my toes.

“He is incredibly intelligent and knows the difference between work and play, if we have to behave and get on with some hard work he settles down and watches - unless digging is involved, and then he definitely thinks he ought to help.”

Jordan added: “I’d recommend taking your dog to work if you have a job that allows enough outdoor space for them to enjoy. It’s definitely a stress reliever and I can always rely on his company and willingness to join me wherever I am.”

Sally Wagstaff and Teddy

Sally Wagstaff, of Kings Bromley, Director of Xodos Aesthetics salon, takes her Cavachon Teddy, aged five and a quarter, to work every day.

The 45-year-old said: “I’ve always loved having my dog at work with me, in my first premises he had his own little cubby hole in a big walk in cupboard! He would say hi to the clients as they arrived, and then toddle off to his crate where he would stay while I worked with the client!

“I had premises for a while where he wasn’t able to come with me and I didn’t like it at all – I hated leaving him behind, so when we were able to move back to premises where he could be with me all day, I jumped at the chance!

“He can be a little vocal when clients first arrive, but he is always friendly and interested in saying hello!”

The ex-Naval nurse and mother-of-two added: “Teddy isn’t allowed in the actual clinical area, so he has made his home either in the basket on the floor next to my receptionist Emma Platt, or more usually on the chair next to the desk in the office! He is most disgruntled when I actually have to hoick him off so a client can sit down!

“He loves being near people, so it is great that he is with me all day, much better than him being on his own.  He is definitely a people-dog, and clients love him (who wouldn’t, he’s cute and fluffy!!)”

Sallyann Smith and Izzy

Sallyann Smith, who runs Roundpeg Outdoor Buildings with her business partner Adam Timmis, of Rugeley, takes her dog 15-year-old Izzy to work every day.

Izzy, a Border Lakeland Terrier cross, even appears in the “Meet The Team” section of their website as security guard.

Sallyann said: “Izzy has been coming to work with me off and on all her life and particularly loves checking the unit for any naughty animal that shouldn't be there especially vermin!

“She is a family dog and has always had a slightly naughty streak, perhaps we should have called her Digger - as that's her favourite pastime when the mood takes her!

“She’s never really been left on her own as when she was a puppy shed did things like all puppies do - like chewing my Ercol furniture till it was no more, as well as escaping from the garden and running riot, therefore she has either been to her grandma's (my mum's) or to work with me. She behaves well and has always has, she is now content to lie by my feet, as she has gone deaf, watching till I move and then following me.”

The 54-year-old added: “Having Izzy next to me has always been good for both me and now my co-founder Adam. I’d definitely recommend it.

“Izzy’s got used to having people round her, the noise of the saws, the constant flow of different people and I’ve got the pleasure of spending time with her.

“She also makes me get up from behind my desk to move and take her out otherwise I wouldn't move for hours on end - not good for me or my back!”