We’re introducing a new and fun series here on TheOfficeStylist.com all about Pets at Work. Studies show that having an animal with you at work reduces stress and anxiety and can increase productivity and creativity too. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about rushing home in the middle of the day to take care, feed and walk Fido. Our first interview is with Bella the Boxer, who not only has her own blog but who is also the Director of Goodwill(D.O.G.), at Galvin Communications. 

About Your Pet

Official Title: Director of Goodwill (D.O.G.) at Galvin Communications, a word of mouth marketing firm in Portland, Oregon, and Author of Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success.

Workday duties: Bella the Boxer is responsible for fostering a sense of energy, enthusiasm and creativity within the office while making sure that her two-legged co-workers don’t spend all day hiding behind their computer screens.

Breed/animal: Bella is a boxer, a true working dog (only instead of herding livestock, she shepherds humans).

Favorite workday activities: Bella likes to wander between our desks and observe our working habits. She’s not afraid to tell us when she thinks we’re being inefficient. In fact, she recently wrote a book in which she gives people tips on how they can work smarter and be happier by thinking like a dog. She also writes a popular blog.

Favorite workday snacks: Apples and string cheese – or anything that the humans happen to have lying around their desks

Start Time: 8:30 AM (just in time for the first snack of the day).

How long has Bella been at the company? Nearly five years…she joined the ranks when she was just eight weeks old.

About you: Technically, Bella reports to me so I guess that makes me her boss. But really, I work for her – answering her fan mail, driving her to book signing events, etc. She also dictates when it’s quitting time (if I don’t feed her promptly at 6:01 PM, she’ll sit next to my desk and let loose with a high-pitched howl).

What made you decide to start bringing Bella into work? The beauty of working for oneself is the ability to set your own office policy. That, and the fact that boxers absolutely hate to be left alone! They really need to be around their people. Plus, it is much better to have Bella in the office with us than home alone, tearing up the sofa cushions…

How would you describe a typical workday with Bella? Well, I’d say that for every 20-minutes of work that I get done, Bella expects 5-minutes of play. She’ll either drop her rope toy at my feet, or bring over one of her slobbery stuffed animals in the hopes that I’ll get up and chase her around the room!

Would you say that having your pet at work helps or hinders your work? From my response above, it sounds like I don’t get much work done at all with Bella in the office. But in fact, the opposite is true. Bella has taught me to focus on the task at hand and to stop wasting time by surfing the Internet, making unnecessary calls, and responding to irrelevant emails. She also gives me a legitimate excuse to step outside the office a few times a day—nothing like some fresh air and a break from the electronic gadgets to get the creative juices flowing again.

What do clients think/say about Bella being at the office with you? They love it. I’ve been astounded at the number of our clients who absolutely adore dogs, and having Bella in the office has been a terrific way to connect with them both personally and professionally.

Do you think more offices should allow pets at work? If dogs are well-behaved and employees aren’t fearful and don’t suffer from allergies, absolutely. Survey after survey shows that Americans believe that having pets in the workplace increases creativity, reduces stress and improves relationships among colleagues.

What’s your favorite thing about having Bella at work? Every day, Bella makes us laugh with her antics. Even when she’s just sleeping under a desk with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, she’s funny! She’s taught us that nothing is really worth getting too upset about. And that it’s OK to do great work without taking our jobs or ourselves too seriously. I think that we humans get stuck in the stress and routine of daily life and it’s nice to have a dog remind us that we’re not the center of the universe.

Ellen Galvin, Principal of Galvin Communications Inc. (www.galvincomm.com) and Co-Author of Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success www.secretsofaworkingdog.com).

• Delicious

Related Articles:

1. Life at Work with Tamara Styles
2. Bored at Work? Try some Office Dares