Why can you bring your dog to the office but not your children?

BarcelonaUnder Paulina's desk at the Purina (Nestle) offices isn't just her backpack. At her feet, lying on a gray blanket with a bowl of food within reach, is her apple, Luna. This is the third time Luna and she have spent the workday together: they enter through the main door together, take the elevator together, sit at the table together, attend meetings together, and leave together during breaks (now walks) and at lunchtime. And Luna isn't alone: she's one of the 120 dogs allowed into the company's offices in Esplugues de Llobregat.

More and more dogs are joining their owners' work lives. For years, and especially since the pandemic, the demand for jobs that offer pet-friendly spaces has grown exponentially. According to a 2017 Ipsos study, 74% of Spanish pet owners (and 68% of Europeans) would bring their pets to work if possible. Currently, only 5% work in environments that allow their presence.

As proof, some companies allow their employees to bring their dogs to the office once a year. Take Your Dog to Work Day has been celebrated since 1999 on the Friday following Father's Day in the United States. "We want to celebrate the companionship dogs provide and encourage their adoption," explains Beth Stultz-Hairston, president of Pet Sitters International, the company behind the initiative. "We believe that when employees who don't have dogs see the bond that forms between owners and animals, they may be motivated to adopt one."

But not all dogs, nor all jobs, are suitable for these initiatives. Sausage factory workers or dog owners who are professional embroiderers or who do not relate well to other animals are not eligible.

In the case of Purina, which has allowed dogs in state offices since 2015, the restrictions are well established. Aside from mandatory vaccinations and deworming, dogs must pass a behavioral test before being admitted: if they are insufficiently obedient, or poorly socialized, or lack sufficient toilet training, they will fail and must stay home. At the same time, there are fairly strict rules: there is a clear distinction between spaces. pet-friendly, where animals are welcome, and those that aren't. There can only be a maximum of six to nine dogs per floor; dogs must be kept on a leash in the area where their owner works, and each person is only allowed one dog into the office, even if they have more than one at home.

What does the law say?

Current legislation seems to put owners in a bit of a quandary. Article 24 of the Animal Welfare Act requires owners to "exercise adequate supervision over [domestic] animals and prevent their escape." And although the law doesn't define what "adequate" supervision means, many owners feel this obligation is incompatible with their schedules. "I adopted Vilma because I could take her to the office," explains Sònia Sáez, veterinarian and communications manager for Purina Spain. "If I had spent ten hours a day away from her, I wouldn't have done it."

One of the employees who most championed the project at Purina is Ruth, who has been part of the team for years and lives with several dogs. Today, she can bring her twelve-year-old Chihuahua to work, and she celebrates it. Like 42% of those surveyed in a 2017 internal company study, she believes that having animals in the office helps with work-life balance. "I remember being in the office with a baby monitor to check on my old dog," she explains. "With her here, I feel much calmer."

The presence of dogs can benefit businesses beyond improving the psychological well-being of their owners. As Kaytie Zimmerman explains in ForbesIf the dogs are in the office, employees don't rush home at the end of the workday. Without that urgent reason, some workers extend their workdays until they're done, instead of leaving the office on time. "In the end, your biggest concern is already with yourself," says Sonia Sáez, while petting Vilma.

Not everything is advantages

"The mental state of the owner and the dog cannot prevail above all else," says Xavier Montero, a member of the Organizational and Work Psychology Section of the Official College of Psychologists of Catalonia. "There must be a balance between the company and the colleagues, which must be regulated by law. Right now, there is a legal vacuum, and their rights and obligations are not included in the Workers' Statute. At the same time, comparative grievances can arise in companies: why can he take the dog and I can't take my child?" The comparison is especially relevant considering the current demographic context: in Catalonia, there are now more dogs than children. According to the latest available data from the pet census, there are 1,254,211 dogs in the country. In 2024, there were 1,189,999 children under 16 registered. And this is not just a Catalan trend. According to data from the Federation of Pet Food Industries (FEDIAF), in 2023 half of European households (49%) had at least one animal.

Animals have become a source of political debate, and it's not uncommon to find cats and dogs on Instagram that are better fed than the average Catalan university student. In a world where there are increasingly more pets, it seems urgent to take measures that allow for a balance between animals and their owners. But not everyone agrees that bringing them to work is the solution.

Among those who oppose there are not only petophobes and cleanliness fanatics. This journalist began noticing symptoms of her dog allergy mid-visit to the Purina offices. Mar Lázaro, who has had several pets throughout her life and works in an office, has another, equally significant, reason for not wanting them around: she doesn't believe the workplace should be converted into a pet-care space. "The workplace is for working," she asserts. "I don't think leisure and private life fit together."

"Those who don't want dogs in the workplace can quickly feel excluded from the group of lovers," explains Dianne Gardner, a researcher at Massey University in New Zealand specializing in workplace well-being and author of a meta-analysis of studies on the benefits of bringing pets into the workplace. "A significant portion of the research is conducted by pet owners, focusing on the benefits to them. For the research to be objective, all aspects should be considered."

Likewise, there is no consensus on the actual benefits it may offer to animals. Jessica Pierce, a member of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado and co-author, with Marc Bekoff, of the book Loose and free dogs (Dogalia), questions whether bringing dogs into offices is an initiative dog-friendly"If we were to make a list of things that stress dogs, most of them would be found in an office: strangers around, noisy phones, slamming doors..." Pierce lists. "The behavior expected of a good dog in an office is inconsistent with the behavior of many puppies." According to Pierce, the fact that a dog can be in an office means, in part, that he has stopped behaving like one.

"Each job and each animal have specific characteristics," explains Alodia Mora of the FAADA animal protection foundation. "If we can find a calm, friendly, and dog-friendly environment at work, it will be beneficial for them, because they are gregarious animals that enjoy company and adapt well to different spaces." Sònia Sáez is aware that the office may not be the ideal space for all dogs. "But we owners know that first and foremost," she assures. "If we know our dogs won't be well here, we won't bring them. When we talk about putting well-being first, let's not just talk about our peace of mind, but also about their well-being."