To love it when colleagues bring their dogs to work and want them to do it more often?

[Natsku]

I work in a factory and people sometimes bring their dogs in (not on the factory floor of course but in the office side or other rooms where they can safely be - today there's two in the women's shower room) and I love it so much as do many others. But I suppose there's a chance there's some people in the building that don't like dogs/scared of them/are allergic so don't like it, though no one has complained yet.

Most of the factory is on holiday this month so I am strongly encouraging people to bring dogs in while its quiet and less people to potentially be bothered, so I can get some canine cuddles when I need a break from work.

Ugh. I would hate this. Just because people don’t openly complain - probably because they don’t want to look like wanker of the week - doesn’t mean everyone wants to be around dogs. Especially in a work situation where it is bringing an emotional, and very personal, dynamic into what is supposed to be a professional environment.

Jesus, that is horrendous. Dogs don't belong in professional environments.

They don't. But then again I strongly suspect this is a wind-up thread.

Dog threads on MN tend to be very strange indeed.

Why assume it’s a wind up? Like I said upthread, a previous employer didn’t mention all the dogs that were in the office every day. I found out on my first day.

I didn't intend this as a wind up thread, tbh I thought more people would like dogs in the workplace, was looking things up yesterday and apparently studies show more positives than negatives. Though here it's not a case of dogs everyday (except boss's dogs when he's in but they mostly keep to themselves) but seems to be more often now its quieter. But I'll stop actively encouraging people to bring their dogs in as perhaps that is unreasonable. But I won't stop loving it when they do!

Are you new to MN? Most of the people on here despise dogs and their owners!

Morale, I suppose.

I’d welcome both.

I knew there's some vocal dog haters but statistically more people like dogs than not, but I guess mumsnet isn't statistically representative!
But I guess my workplace is as if there were people really opposed to dogs coming in it would have come up in the anonymous employee satisfaction surveying occupational health does.

“Anus”? Really?

And their neighbours.

I’m in a co-working space. There are about 5 dogs that come in regularly. 3 are small and no problem, if a bit barky. Two are bigger. One is a Rottweiler style dog and it’s ludicrous having it in the office. The small dogs are wary, and the owner takes it into a part of the office that isn’t used much to exercise it by throwing a ball. There has also been an issue with one of the small dogs of leaving a trail of shit.

I don’t like dogs much so I’m not rushing to pet them. I don’t mind them being around though, apart from the Rottweiler, as I don’t think a big dog that needs to expend lots of energy belong in an office.

Even worse who wants there uniform stinking of dog

I don’t dislike dogs but I do dislike the insistence that they need to go everywhere. We’re having a work event at a park with a BBQ (it’s a requirement to go but it’s meant to be fun) and someone is saying they’re going to bring their dog. Just why?! She wouldn’t be allowed to bring it into the office so why is she bringing it to a work event outside?

Occasionally people bring their dogs to the office and they are cute/I don't want to make a fuss but then I end up with streaming eyes and a scratchy throat until they go.

This whole "vast majority of people don't like dogs, silent majority, MN is anonymous so people tell the truth" thing is odd though.

I don't know what to make of it. It can be true, of course.

But then again when I am out with my dog Nearly everyone wants to say hello and goes out of their way to interact with her, despite my natural tendency to manage where I stand etc so that pol are not too in her space or on top of her (she's only little)

To be clear - I don't think it it because she is special (of course she is to me) I just wonder if that is dogs generally.

So while I totally agree that the Silent Majority thing can absolutely be true, aboit many topics, on this one it doesn't match my experience.

I don't know what to believe tbh!

I would love pets being brought into work as long as they weren’t smelly.

Because it is outside.

In a park.

We have dogs in the offices at work, but they are working dogs connected with the sites I work at which is a bit different! We aren't allowed pet dogs at all

Nothing was drying there yesterday. There's no lingering dog smell that I can detect (I don't have dogs of my own so I'm pretty sensitive to the smell I think) so I'm not concerned about drying my clothes there tomorrow

There were quite a few people yesterday asking to visit the dogs in the showers, and fussing over them in the break room at breakfast and lunch.

I don't doubt that there's people that quietly dislike dogs but I strongly doubt its the majority anywhere.

But it’s a work event. In working hours.

Oh - well in that case perhaps you should be vocal about it?

Make it really clear that you think it is inappropriate for anyone to bring a dog, that you don't think it should be allowed and that you think it is an odd thing to have even suggested/requested in the first place.

Will you come back and let us know how that turns out?

🙄 You’re right. I’m definitely not entitled to an opinion on this. Only your way of thinking is acceptable. How silly of me!

I answered the question of the OP in that I don’t think dogs should be at work or work events. I don’t care how cute your dog is. I don’t dislike dogs but I don’t want them welcome everywhere. I don’t want to go on a compulsory work event and have her dog slobbering on me or sniffing/eating the food. Yes, she should control it but people who think their dogs are always a welcome addition never train their dogs well.

I’m scared of dogs after being kitten by one as a child and hated it when the boss would bring his into the office - to the point where I jumped if it came near me. Massively impacted my work performance that day and was distracting to all the dog lovers who did less work and spent more time finding ways to play with the dog.

Very unfair and is just a ‘cool office vibe’ thing that discriminates against non dog people who feel we can’t spay anything in a nation of dog lovers!

And yes I hate it when people don't have their dog on a leash when walking it - I really don’t want your dog slobbering over me no matter how friendly you claim it is!