Dogs in offices

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RANT: I do not understand how or why it became acceptable for people in office jobs to take dogs to work. A workplace is no place for pets. Get a dogsitter or don't have a pet or change job. I don't want their hounds near me i don't want their hairs on my office chair. Am I being unreasonable to think the starting position should be no animals in offices? Rant over.

More calmly, I have 2 reasons that I want to avoid dogs - a severe allergy plus a previous dog attack leaving me generally nervous and stressed around dogs. Work is aware of my allergy and now office returns are being discussed, some measures are in place to minimise my exposure.

But what if that weren't the case though and I just didn't like them? Is it for the individual to check if there are animals in the office before they accept the job? Or should employers disclose in job ads?

Of course I exclude guide dogs/hearing dogs or similar.

AIBU to think the default position should be no dogs in offices?

Where is this happening?!

I think offices that allow dogs are very rare. I was surprised to learn that where my DH works (for a chain of schools) dogs are allowed in the offices. I can see it being an issue now so many people have been at home for over a year and their dogs will suffer with separation anxiety but I don’t think YABU. We intend to work around it so if I am ever back in the office it will be on the days DH wfh and vice versa. If we couldn’t make that work we’d pay for dog walker/day care as our dog can manage a few hours by herself. But I can’t imagine we’d ever send her into the office!

I love dogs but I agree with you. My bosses have brought their dogs in and family members' dogs that they've been dog sitting on various occasions. It's disruptive, they peed on the carpet, chewed things etc. It's really not practical.

Generally I don’t mind them in the office as long as they are chilled out and well behaved, and their owner doesn’t need to spend all day giving them attention.
When I’ve worked in offices with dogs in the past they just tend to snooze or have a wander about, the novelty wears off.
But I don’t think it’s fair if you have an allergy.

I have to agree, despite going to work covered in dog hair daily. It would be a huge distraction and time waster and some people really don’t like/fear them. Wholly inappropriate.

I agree. Also dogs in schools. Why.
I'm So allergic.

YANBU at all. Selfish and inconsiderate of owners.

I really hate this modern phenomena of expecting everyone to treat all dogs like people and be overjoyed when a dog is in the vicinity.

I am very nervous of most dogs (especially jumpy ones who seem to seek me out like a nervous-woman-seeking missile) and those I'm not nervous of, I'm indifferent to. Get your annoying mutt off me.

Mind you OP, there's some crazy dog people on MN and no doubt someone will be along to call you a cunt in a minute

I wish my office allowed dogs! Where is this?!

I think it is part of the fashion for trendy hipster offices, WeWork and the like.

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

I'm a teacher and in my school there's a termly "bring your dog to work day" for staff it's fucking carnage and it's only because the Head is dog mad. I eat my lunch in my car on those days.

I think if the dogs in question are well behaved it’s fine.
Unfortunately many are not....

I think pretty much all of the companies in my industry allow dogs at work.
I quite like it, but I have wondered what would happen if someone with an allergy was hired!
At one of my previous workplaces a new hire only lasted one day as they hadn’t realised there were dogs in the workplace and they were scared of them.

While my dog would be disruptive in an office (he’s an attention seeking twat), I’ve worked in offices with lovely calm dogs and find it rather lovely.

I worked for a company that allowed dogs in the office. Was absolutely horrific. Spent half of my day falling over water bowls and getting tangled in leads. People could never make meetings as they had to walk the dog. Constant barking and the smell. I absolutely hated it.

Agree. There was a campaign at my work to allow them (they tried to claim that dogs not being allowed was the reason they struggled to recruit staff).
Our offices are small with 2-4 people in each. They said it would be on the condition that all in the office agreed. The trouble is I'd feel bad saying no, and while I wouldn't mind a non smelly, quiet dog, my experience is that people tend to have stinky dogs that try to pick you and jump all over the furniture. Grim. Plus they don't keep them away from people's food. Luckily the idea got shelved due to covid...

Huh?

Which offices have dogs? Just general pets? Why? What do the dogs do while the person works? Do they take them to meetings?

Sounds very unusual.

And in schools? Again, not heard of this. Pets? The children's pets or what?

Loads of people don't like or are scared of dogs. Also, allergy.

If there were loads wouldn't they sometimes want to play/ fight/ fuck?!

I can’t even understand how it would work?! Can you take cats in too? if I took my lab in he would be shimmying all over the office, stealing things, knocking chairs over to get to other dogs and play etc. There would be utter chaos!
YANBU....,But I’d love to work in such an office 🤭🤣 maybe just for a day!

Bloody love our office dog. She’s the best friend of our Director and business owner. She’s really well behaved and just has a mooch and then lies in her ‘spot’ then stares at everyone at lunchtime. She cheers up my day with her daft wee furry face.

'At one of my previous workplaces a new hire only lasted one day as they hadn’t realised there were dogs in the workplace and they were scared of them.'

That's awful.

Application interviews etc. Paperwork getting done. Excited about new job- maybe promotion from previous.

Could well have packed in a perfectly good job for it.

That's really bad.

I also took her for a walk as I delivered some documents to a lawyers office a few streets away. She was great and walked really nicely at heel.

I previously worked in a (small) office with two dogs. They started coming in as little puppies and were adorable. No one minded.
But as they got older it got annoying. No longer quite so cute, smelly office, noisy barking sometimes when on phones. Generally quite distracting and unprofessional.

YANBU.

@NiceGerbil in my school teachers can bring their dogs to work on a specific day each term. They go in the classrooms with them for lessons (providing no children in the class have allergies) go out with them on lunchtime duty etc.

Everyone (but me) goes mad for it. But from what I can see all that happens is

• no pupils learn anything as they're too busy pissing around with the dogs
• someone inevitably dumps their dog in the staff room because their next lesson a child is allergic, or they are popping out to town for lunch
• at least one dog shits or pisses which is a lovely smell to greet the next teacher and class
• everyone remembers that I don't like dogs, which in the modern world equates me with being the leader in a Russian gulag, so I get the piss taken out of me (which inevitably leads to tension as I will literally say "not everyone has to like your mutt")

Oh and last time we had a dog day at work, someone brought in their mongrel cockapoo who was on heat and it bled all over my form room