gone to the dogs

Alas, my own poochums is not at work with me today. I suspect he's fast asleep on the couch, chasing bunnies.

Friday is Take Your Dog to Work Day and the sponsor of the event, Pet Sitters International, estimates that as many as 10,000 companies in the United States and Canada will open their doors to employees' dogs.

Now in its seventh year, the event is designed to let employees demonstrate the value of their four-legged friends, and encourage those without pets to adopt from shelters, rescue groups and humane societies.

According to the U.S. Humane Society, there are 65 million dogs in 39 percent of American households. Although they offer no figures, advocates say that allowing pets in the workplace is a growing trend because their presence can be beneficial to the company as well as employees and animals.

“It was very popular in the late '90s,” said Len Kain, co-founder of Dogfriendly.com, which publishes pet travel guides. “It kind of died down after the tech industry bust, but now it’s coming back.”

Kain said that more companies are looking into dog-friendly policies because they improve staff morale and camaraderie and encourage employees to work longer hours. “People will stay longer if they don’t have to leave to let their dog out,” he said.