‘Take Your Dog To Work Day’ or leave the pup at home

It’s time for another one of those “national days” that bears little significance on you until a coworker shows up with cookies for “Chocolate Chip Cookie Day” or an IHOP gift certificate for “National Waffle Day.” But on Friday, June 22, the national “day” might mean a dog is stealing that cookie right off your desk.

That’s right – National Take Your Dog To Work Day will be in full force (tomorrow) Friday. While your kids tagging along at work might mean you get some extra filing done, your four-legged friend, or your cubicle neighbor’s little barker might get in the way of actually doing your job.

Dogs are wonderful, but unless you work in an environment that already welcomes dogs in the workplace, you might be best off leaving your puppy at home, to avoid pee stains, whining, opened snacks in your downstairs open air convenience store and barks and begs for walks at inopportune times during your work day, maybe Fido should stay home.

Still, if you insist on bringing your dog along to the office on Friday, tips are in abundance all over the web:

Walk frequently to avoid pee breaks inside.

Find out in advance if anyone has allergies, and if they do and don’t seem eager to take some Claritin, just leave the dog at home.

Keep water and treats around – food motivation might be the best way to keep Spot well-behaved when the boss is walking by.

Bring something comfy for your pet to lounge in.

Above all, dog lovers, make sure your dog wants to be at work with you. If they’re full of energy and would rather be outside, or if the workplace is busy enough that it might overstimulate and stress them out, let them lounge at home, and give them some good ear scratches as soon as you walk in the door.