Dogs in the office

Or everyone would think “thank fuck someone finally said something”.

A dog does not belong in an office. Don’t have one if you can’t look after it properly.

It would be my worst nightmare. What is it with people and dogs?! Why is everyone expected just to put up with someone else’s stinking great beast? Can people take their pet snakes in? It’s ridiculous and inconsiderate.

The OP wasn't informed about presence of dogs before accepting the job (and supposedly leaving another job for that). That suggests there isn't any official position stating the dogs are allowed no matter what, maybe there were just unofficially tolerated for the time being.
Surely even a new employee has a right for safe workplace.

I don't work in an office environment but, if I did, I would stipulate that it had to be dog friendly.

I bloody love dogs, I would pet all of them all day and get no work done 😂

It’s irrelevant that this is about a dog. The workplace has an established status quo that was in place before you arrived. When you join as a new starter you either accept it or don’t join if it doesn’t suit you. You don’t take the job then demand they change everything to accommodate you.

The dog was there before them?! The dog isn't an employee!

The world is going mad 🙈 ridiculous that other people's choice to have a pet should negatively impact on their colleagues! Dogs are taking over but it eventually come full circle hopefully.

If all employess agree then sure fine, if not then 'well just leave' is a ridiculous idea

We have hybrid working so I'm not in the office every day and there aren't dogs in every day but they are in regularly.

I'm allergic and not a dog lover.

In my open plan office they are free to roam everywhere. They're usually small dogs. They're always appearing at my side or under the desks - even in meetings, or nearly tripping me up as I'm walking along.

I don't understand why their owners don't keep them under control and accept not everyone is going to want to pet and play with them.

Totally. Got to say this first time I’ve ever heard is people bringing their dogs the office . I never knew it was a thing and I’ve worked in offices 35 years.

I couldn’t stand it. I’d be one of those voting no and I wouldn’t be quiet about it. Offices ate workplaces for people not animals. And all those saying they can’t leave their dogs at home all day - well that’s a consideration when you choose to get a pet isn’t it

"If one thing is allowed in certain instances then everything must therefore be allowed and there can't be any rules at all" is an absurdly disingenous take🙄

Office dogs can be a well-loved part of a workplace's culture, but there should be some pretty stringent standards and conditions attached including awareness of allergies and full disclosure to new hires.

Dogs at work are one of the most ridiculous things to have come out of lockdown. Of course you can’t take your pet to work. Think back 10 years. No one took their pet to work. It’s inappropriate. If you work full time don’t get a pet you can’t leave at home.

So if an employer allows anything at all for one (or more employees) then if anyone has anything against it they should leave

Loud musix, allowing perfume, eating peanuts, bringing grandparents or friends to work, drinking beer in the office, park wherever they feel like, turn up when they want too - anything at all

'if you don't like it leave'

does that idea work for everything?

I wouldn't want a dog at work either OP. Sometimes one is brought in and through no fault of its own (a rescue) is quite vicious and aggressive. It has a muzzle on but that doesn't stop it trying to attack. I can't go into the office it is in when it's there and I don't think it's right either. Obviously dogs at work aren't usually aggressive, but I still wouldn't want one there all the time because you can never be 100% sure they won't nip someone or something. And the dog should never be in a position like that.

What does it matter is she hates dogs - she is bloody allergic - her employer should make sure the environment is suitable for her
And the inconsiderate dog owner should leave her dog at home.

Haven't rtft but I am shocked, how is it ok to force a parent to pay ££££ a year to keep their child out of the workplace, but dogs (who are ok left on their own for periods of time) are ok...pay for doggy day care if you are that bothered about it being left on its own.

If a dog bit a staff member would the employer be in trouble legally?

Office dogs are relatively common. Some people love having a friendly, well behaved dog in the office, some are neutral towards it, and some dislike it. It turns out we don't all have the same needs or preferences in a workplace environment and that's ok. The majority of your coworkers may genuinely appreciate having the dog around.

But allergies are a real issue, and I'm sorry you're dealing with symptoms while you're trying to work. Tamp down the obvious disdain you feel for the dog and its owner and let your manager know that you need to find some sort of solution so the dog isn't coming around your desk all the time. You can do this without making it some big complaint about the dog being in the office. Potential solutions might include relocating your desk, blocking off your row, the owner training the dog to stay clear of your area, or even having the dog on a long line so people choose to visit it instead of the other way around.

I'd also definitely mention that with your allergies this would have been a good thing to know when you were interviewing.

The allergen controls are things like high frequency deep cleaning, dog free lifts, walkways, rooms etc and no moving equipment ie chairs between areas.

For the behaviour passport, new dogs can come in on an initial trial basis a few times- if they don't run riot, or bark excessively, piss on the cables etc they get the passport and can join the rota. And yes, they have to be up to date with vaccinations, worming etc

Personally, I love that it's dog friendly. I'll be honest though, on the whole it does feel more like its the people with allergies/aversions who are the ones segregated and not the dogs!

I'll also caveat that I have never taken my own dog in, as there's no chance mine would ever be the proud owner of a good behaviour passport

Op these answers are nuts. Of course they should have told you and you shouldn't have to leave because you have an allergic reaction (or frankly even if you were scared of dogs. It's ridiculous that you now have to take medication and risk having an allergic.
Dogs in offices is not common at all - I work in the busiest business district in the UK and have yet to see someone bringing their dog into the office.
It is incredibly selfish to bring a dog to a large office like that. I would definitely let them know you have allergy and you now have to take medication, it's really unacceptable.
The majority of people do not want dogs in office, bad enough they seem to be in most restaurants now.

I'm very allergic and being in a dog friendly office would trigger asthma attacks. I would have to leave 😞 I think at the very least they should have mentioned it at your interview!

Weird. I had to speak to about fifteen people to be allowed to take my sister's dog to visit my mum who was in a side room (so away from other patients) and was end of life and had asked to see him. Even then it was "only for a short time and he must be very well behaved" (he was, but we stayed half the day and all the nursing staff came to see him, because he's lovely, but we were acutely aware that he couldn't bark or run around, not that he would).

It certainly didn't seem like a dog friendly environment. In fact, it's odd what you say because with mum being in hospital the best part of nine months last year and me visiting nearly everyday, sometimes twice a day, I think I saw one dog (other than ours). So it's not that common in the NHS.

There is zero equivalence between the disruption caused by a reasonably behaved dog and a reasonably behaved toddler. I often dog-sit my sister's dog while I wfh and after it's morning walk it just sits quietly next to my desk all day or takes itself for a stroll to the kitchen. My DC needs constant attention and stimulation and will rightly gripe if they don't get them, so I never wfh when they are in unless someone else is here to care for them.
The error here was with the recruiting manager who didn't inform that this was the norm in that office during the hiring process.

I would absolutely hate this, OP. The only workplace I would expect to see dogs is a vets (obviously apart from assistance dogs)! I do not like dogs and would be seriously pissed off if someone's dog was placed higher in the office hierarchy than an actual.paid employee.

Is it only dogs that are allowed as what about the cat people, can they bring in their cats? Then the hamster people might want to bring in their hamsters which might play havoc with the falcon people !

Sounds like a recipe for disaster!

It's not a particularly new thing I don't think. I worked in a few different offices 20/30 years ago, where the owners all brought in their dogs. My first job was in a converted country house, with several different dogs in situ. My second job in the local town, with two dogs. I loved it. Especially in the winter. Nothing nicer than requisitioning the nearest lab to sit under your desk as a foot warmer!

However, you should have been made aware, and been given the chance to say you were not comfortable with it.