Next Friday is national Take-Your-Dog-To-Work-Day! This seems like a strange holiday. What exactly is the importance of TYDTW Day?
From
www.takeyourdog.com:
First celebrated in 1999, Take Your Dog To Work Day was created to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs. This annual event encourages employers to experience the value of pets in their workplace for this one special day to promote pet adoptions.
On June 20, 2008, businesses, animal shelters and pet-care professionals from around the world will work together to better the lives of shelter dogs everywhere. Thousands of businesses will open their doors to employees’ pets on this day in celebration of the great companions dogs make. Pet Sitters International invites your business to Join us! as we celebrate a decade of working dogs!
We are asking every business--great and small--to become a true friend of the canine community by helping Pet Sitters International promote pet adoptions in a positive and proactive way! Explore our site to learn how you can participate, register your business and spread the word.
This event was created by
Pet Sitters Intl. There is even a nifty
guide to help make TYDTW Day a great experience. This is a great mission statement - very well polished, but what does it mean to me and you?
First off, most dogs do not get the amount of socialization that they generally require. My dogs do, because they are at the bakery most days, but how many dogs get to say that? Getting out of the house, meeting new people, meeting new dogs. This is all healthy stuff for your dog. Think how bored you'd be if you never got to go anywhere but the doctor?
Second, this raises awareness with your co-workers about your dog ownership. Where did you get him or her, was it a rescue? Do you guys have any tricks or commands that you have been working on? Do you use a dog trainer? Where's the dog park at? Part of responsible dog ownership is the education of our peers, with whatever we can share. So, anything you can share with your co-workers is great.
Now, those two reasons are great, but if you don't coordinate something with the local shelters or rescues, thats about where the benefits stop. Involving a local shelter or rescue can help bring awareness to the thousands of dogs that need homes every day. They might even be willing to make a stop at your businesses to show off some adoptable dogs, and who knows, maybe with all of the hoopla going on, we might excite someone to take the plunge and adopt a homeless dog in need.
In my opinion, this is where the big dividends are at. It is very hard to raise awareness of the current plight our homeless animals face every day. It is literally a fight for their lives.
This is the first time I have considered taking one of my dogs to the office with me. As far as I know, no local shelters or rescues participate with TYDTW Day, or at least I have never seen or heard anything about them being out in the community during TYDTW Day. How does one go about generating interest in something like this? It might be a little late this year, but I am going to ask some questions. Maybe we can get something cool going by next year - or maybe I will stumble upon cool stuff thats going on now and I just don't know about it! I will post anything if I get any kind of response.
Posts
