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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dogs in the office

443 replies

banjocat · 17/01/2024 15:39

I've recently started at a new workplace.

Someone in the same office but from another team brings her dog in, and has been doing this since before I started.

It's a very large open plan office, around 30 computers in there, and also members of the public come into the front area (where there is a customer facing desk).

I have mild dog allergies. Not to the extent that it really causes a problem, but if the dog came and sat near me (which he sometimes does) I have to move away from him.

Despite my allergies I do like dogs, but I suppose I'm just surprised that no one mentioned or checked with me that there would be a dog in the office. With such a flow of staff and people through the space, there are bound to be people with allergies or other problems wtih dogs - I'm kind of surprised that this is allowed and just seems to be in place every week.

I don't feel I can say anything without it creating bad feeling as it's an established routine now and lots of colleagues love the dog.

Are dogs in the office becoming the norm now?

AIBU to think it's a bit rude not to check with everyone who is working there?

OP posts:
Original poster
banjocat · 17/01/2024 16:57

ChristmasTRGin · 17/01/2024 16:53

I actually did mention to the owner that I have dog allergies.

How did that conversation go? Did you say it and it was ignored and you let it drop. Or did you ask if anything could be done such as dog restricted to certain areas etc?

Show quote history

As I've explained multiple times now, I am not keen to push the matter because of all the points raised by @Pheasantsmate

OP posts:
Skybluecoat · 17/01/2024 16:57

banjocat · 17/01/2024 16:48

@Skybluecoat Assistance dogs sit still next to their owners. This dog walks around the office greeting people and also carrying around its slobbery toy (which people throw around the office too). There's quite a big difference.

Having said that, I also think that people should be told if there are assistance dogs in the office, because some people have severe allergies and wouldn't cope with a golden retriever/ lab.

No. They don’t all sit quietly like that. I used to work with someone who was blind and his guide dog was very naughty and used to wander off all over the place. It was a standing joke that he was trying to kill his owner.

Even if there were no dogs when you started, someone could join who had a dog. Employer might reasonably argue that other staff member needed dog to work but person with allergy could take drugs and try to stay away from dog.

I think people just need to get used to the fact that times change, and dogs are out in offices and shops etc a lot more than they used to be.

kisstheblarney · 17/01/2024 16:58

@banjocat it was the comment about slobbery, running round the office etc, made you sound like you didn't like it.

Original poster
banjocat · 17/01/2024 16:59

@Skybluecoat That's your view but you're well in the minority on the vote, currently standing at 73% agreeing with me.

OP posts:
Lovelynames123 · 17/01/2024 17:00

Stompythedinosaur · 17/01/2024 16:07

I think it is fairly common to have dog friendly offices, and tbh I'm not sure how different it is from sitting in a dog friendly cafe or something like that. Obviously a dog should be well trained enough not to approach people who don't want to interact (or are allergic).

If the dog is causing a genuine problem for you then obviously you should talk to your line manager, but it doesn't sound like it is, just that you don't think it should be there?

I think that this is something people probably should check when getting a new job, if they have a strong preference.

I would say it's different because you can choose to go into a dog friendly cafe, you can't choose whether to go into work!

I had no idea this was now considered the norm. It is mad and anyone who thinks it isn't has also gone mad, you wouldn't take your kid to work. If you work out of the home all day you surely account for dog care before getting the dog. I couldn't take a dog to my workplace, sometimes I'm there for 12 hours, so I don't have a dog but have a cat instead. I've always been a dog lover, previously owned 3 dogs, but I'm sick of this expectation that dogs should be allowed everywhere

kisstheblarney · 17/01/2024 17:00

banjocat · 17/01/2024 16:59

@Skybluecoat That's your view but you're well in the minority on the vote, currently standing at 73% agreeing with me.

Yeah but this is MN, the site of the dog hater.

ArabellaScott · 17/01/2024 17:00

Pheasantsmate · 17/01/2024 16:00

The way I see it is you complain about this persons long standing arrangement and:

  1. HR tell you that they are a dog friendly environment and you have just marked yourself out as a troublemaker for no benefit
  2. HR ban dogs from the office. The dog is banned from the office. The owner has to pay for a walker and is pissed off and tells people their loved dog is banned.Everyone knows you made the complaint and thinks you are a dick
  3. HR bans dogs from the office, the owner decides they can’t leave their dog at home so looks for a new job. They tell people the reason why they are leaving… everyone thinks you are a dick

That'd be really unfair if that happens.

What about:

  1. HR asks for a dog free office, staff understand and comply, everything is fine.

Which is also possible, surely?

Original poster
banjocat · 17/01/2024 17:01

@kisstheblarney As someone with allergies, no, I don't want a dog running around the office with a slobber-covered toy.

That doesn't mean I don't like dogs (I do).

But if I happened to not like dogs, that would also be fine. Not everyone has to like dogs. I'm not sure why you said it in such an accusatory-sounding way. People like different things.

OP posts:
tenterden · 17/01/2024 17:01

OP you ask if dogs in offices is becoming more the norm now, and yes, they are. Much more the norm.

Those who don’t like it will have to adapt.

Evaka · 17/01/2024 17:01

Some wild answers here. Yes OP, it's commonplace but absolutely doesn't override your needs/wishes. Have a calm word with whoever manages the space and request that either they're restricted or can't come anymore.

BorisIsACuntWaffle · 17/01/2024 17:02

Catza · 17/01/2024 15:57

It's pretty unrealistic to check every employee for allergies. There is nothing entitled about bringing a dog into a dog-friendly office. I won't be going around checking if all my colleagues are OK with me wearing perfume, eating fish or nuts, wearing a woollen jumper or bringing fresh flowers to put on my desk. There are people with millions of allergies and the onus is on them to inform the employer/colleagues of what they can and can't work with (and not take the job if accommodations can't be made).
I have sensory sensitivities and I don't think my colleagues are "entitled" when they turn the lights on or have a fan on their desk. I simply ask them to turn the fan so it doesn't blow on me and ask if it would be OK for me to turn the lights off during daylight hours. Because they are, indeed, entitled to do whatever is permitted in company policies but not in the way you mean when you say "entitled" about your work colleague.

There's a fuck ton of entitlement.

bobomomo · 17/01/2024 17:03

My ddog goes to work with exh but only those with private offices have this privilege, ddog I don't think really cares about whether he goes or is left at home, when he's at mine I leave him at home (dsd is usually home) and he barely budges out of his bed

kisstheblarney · 17/01/2024 17:04

banjocat · 17/01/2024 17:01

@kisstheblarney As someone with allergies, no, I don't want a dog running around the office with a slobber-covered toy.

That doesn't mean I don't like dogs (I do).

But if I happened to not like dogs, that would also be fine. Not everyone has to like dogs. I'm not sure why you said it in such an accusatory-sounding way. People like different things.

It was an observation!

HunterHearstHelmsley · 17/01/2024 17:05

Pheasantsmate · 17/01/2024 16:00

The way I see it is you complain about this persons long standing arrangement and:

  1. HR tell you that they are a dog friendly environment and you have just marked yourself out as a troublemaker for no benefit
  2. HR ban dogs from the office. The dog is banned from the office. The owner has to pay for a walker and is pissed off and tells people their loved dog is banned.Everyone knows you made the complaint and thinks you are a dick
  3. HR bans dogs from the office, the owner decides they can’t leave their dog at home so looks for a new job. They tell people the reason why they are leaving… everyone thinks you are a dick

The dog owner in examples 2 and 3 would be the dick. Anyone thinking the OP is a troublemaker in example 1 is just a bit thick.

Skybluecoat · 17/01/2024 17:05

Well your AIBU was asking if YABU to think that employers should have asked everyone who was working there if having dogs in was OK.

Quite possibly that happened at the time. You are the new arrival so it wouldn’t apply to you.

That why YABU.

Original poster
banjocat · 17/01/2024 17:08

Skybluecoat · 17/01/2024 17:05

Well your AIBU was asking if YABU to think that employers should have asked everyone who was working there if having dogs in was OK.

Quite possibly that happened at the time. You are the new arrival so it wouldn’t apply to you.

That why YABU.

If there's a dog in the office then my view is that everyone who comes to work in the office (including new starters who start after the dog is there) should be asked by management if they are OK with that. The arrangement should be continually reviewed, in the spirit of employees health and comfort being more important than someone saving a few ££ on a dog walker.

OP posts:
BorisIsACuntWaffle · 17/01/2024 17:08

tenterden · 17/01/2024 17:01

OP you ask if dogs in offices is becoming more the norm now, and yes, they are. Much more the norm.

Those who don’t like it will have to adapt.

Can't adapt being allergic to them

Aroundthewaygirl · 17/01/2024 17:09

I'm a dog lover but if the business is going to allow dogs, then they need to make that perfectly clear before they hire people. I'm very allergic to cats and I don't know if I would take a job if cats were brought into the office. I'm not sure if I would take it even if a dog was in the office, I have mixed feelings about animals in the office.

Lindjam · 17/01/2024 17:09

I know quite a few people who take their dogs to work with them nowadays. It’s definitely becoming the norm.

It is also more common to see dogs in shops, cafes and restaurants.

Anyone voting otherwise must walk around with their eyes shut!

If you didn’t declare your allergies when you started it’s tough shit really.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 17/01/2024 17:10

This is one of those topics where most of the posters think OP is totally unreasonable ( and horrid to boot) but the poll,p shows the majority agree with her.

exLtEveDallas · 17/01/2024 17:12

Oh I miss my last job, where the dogs were more welcome than the humans! In an office set up only just big enough for 5 desks and a couple of arm chairs, we had up to 8 dogs every day. With another 2 in an adjoining office, and further 4 in another building. We would 'pack' walk them every lunchtime - what a sight, 14-16 dogs all running around having doggy fun.

(we also had at different times a kitten, a tortoise and a giant rabbit wandering around with the dogs)

We had visitors/customers every day, and you know what, in the 5 years I worked there, not one complaint.

We definitely would have told any new employees what to expect, but tbf, they would have seen the madness for themselves when they came for interview - it wasn't like we could hide them!

ItsJustNotHappening · 17/01/2024 17:13

What’s the insurance position on taking your dog into the workplace? For example if it bites an employee or a client? I don’t have a dog and I also like dogs but I’m interested to know the answer to this.

Skybluecoat · 17/01/2024 17:14

banjocat · 17/01/2024 17:08

If there's a dog in the office then my view is that everyone who comes to work in the office (including new starters who start after the dog is there) should be asked by management if they are OK with that. The arrangement should be continually reviewed, in the spirit of employees health and comfort being more important than someone saving a few ££ on a dog walker.

Show quote history

And if it’s an assistance dog?

Ultimately it’s the employer who chooses whether dogs are allowed and I suspect most who do allow dogs are likely to come down on that side of the argument, don’t you?

If someone has allergies that medication can’t mitigate, then they would struggle to sit with anyone who even owned a dog, given the amount of dander they would be carrying on their clothes.

Anyway, I am off to walk the dogs!!

Original poster
banjocat · 17/01/2024 17:16

Skybluecoat · 17/01/2024 17:14

And if it’s an assistance dog?

Ultimately it’s the employer who chooses whether dogs are allowed and I suspect most who do allow dogs are likely to come down on that side of the argument, don’t you?

If someone has allergies that medication can’t mitigate, then they would struggle to sit with anyone who even owned a dog, given the amount of dander they would be carrying on their clothes.

Anyway, I am off to walk the dogs!!

Show quote history

One person's need for an assistance dog doesn't outweigh another person's allergies/ health conditions. Both need to be managed in tandem and there needs to be a conversation about anyone with allergies or phobias and how that is going to be handled.

But in this case it is not an assistance dog. It's just saving someone some money on pet care.

OP posts:
Brefugee · 17/01/2024 17:16

Is it a poodle? they are said to have fur that is more like human hair and people with allergies are less likely to be allergic to them.

But I'm another wondering how the convo with dog owner went. Because if you really want the dog to be kept away, you have to use the actual words.

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