Dog days of summer

Allergies and accidents
The most common problem in with dogs in the workplace is allergies.

“If you look at the general population, 20 to 30 percent of adults have animal allergies, and 3.5 percent of adults have asthma," Dr. Jonathan Corren, assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCLA. "One percent can have an event triggered by allergic reaction, and one in 10 people could be made uncomfortable.”

But Corren added that if dogs aren’t around constantly, distance is helpful. “A dog won’t leave a whole lot of allergens if it’s there for just a few hours. If someone moves, say, 100 feet away, it would probably fix the problem,” he said.

And, of course, there’s always the possibility of potty accidents. “Owners know their dogs best. They know if their pets can behave properly,” Long said. “In the end, common sense rules the day.”

A less obvious problem can be becoming too attached to an animal. When Williams lost her first dog, she had a difficult time going to work without him.

“Usually, in times of crisis, I can dive into work and escape whatever is going on with me," she said. "After bringing him to work with me every day since he was 7 weeks old, returning to work after his death was no escape.

"I missed a lot of work. When I returned it was just as hard if not harder than being at home, not to mention the effect it had on the office as they had seen him grow up.”

Some guidelines
For a pleasant workplace experience, here are some tips from Dogfriendly.com:

• Dogs must be tied to a standard six-foot leash or in a closed office or cubicle. Some employees will put a small folding fence, or baby gate, in front of their cubicle door so their pup cannot roam around.
• Dogs that are aggressive toward people should not be taken to work.
• They must be flea-free.
• "Three accidents and you're out": Some companies require dogs to stay home if they go to the bathroom more than twice at work.

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