Office dogs at EDIMART
Dog is man’s best friend – this has been the case for millennia and just as civilisation keeps developing, our family pets also need to adapt to a new rhythm of life. As more and more people live and work in urban environments, one increasingly popular trend is for four-legged friends to accompany their owners to the workplace.
This has numerous benefits for both owners and dogs, but it also greatly impacts the work environment and the colleagues. You frequently read about the beneficial presence of dogs, that these furry co-workers considerably reduce stress and bring happiness and release to the office. We are not disputing this, but it’s important to also talk about potential difficulties.
One prerequisite for dogs to adapt well to the office environment is suitable socialization and appropriate training. It’s important they don’t attack strangers, that they don’t defend their territory or chew people’s stuff and electric cables.
You can all imagine what a bored dog can get up to if they feel they are being neglected. Then there’s the matter of begging for food. All dogs do this, but not everyone likes a salivating four-legged friend staring at them when they are trying to enjoy their lunch. It’s essential that pets be house-trained and they must also learn that they cannot bother people whenever they want some attention.
As there are currently three dogs present in rotation at the office, flexibility is needed from the owners since management has capped the number of dogs per day at two.
It also had to be confirmed whether everyone was on board with the pitter-patter of eight extra paws all day long because, let’s be honest, not everyone likes dogs to the same degree (and that’s ok). It’s a testament to our team’s solidarity that even staff members not that keen on dogs went along with the idea.
For many years, Teddy was the only canine at the EDIMART office and he has never been a bother. Edit has been raising him since he was a pup. He’s a true spaniel, a soft ball of fur, extremely calm and keeping to himself, spending much of the day asleep, never really underfoot. He’s up for playing ball once in a while, and he’d do anything for a cucumber. Alongside Edit, he is a frequent visitor at the Etyek Shelter, where he gets along great with the other dogs. On occasion, staff members take him on shorter walks if his master happens to be out of the office.
Virsli was the second to arrive as assistant to our vendor manager and, there’s no denying, as a true dachshund he was slightly problematic at first. He is adopted and doesn’t have the best relationship with men with deep voices, and particularly hates it when people invade his personal space. Sadly, on occasion, he has growled at and herded male visitors at the office, and it took months of dog-school training to accept that being a watch-dog is not in his job description. He has changed a lot since and has become decidedly kind, although he still seems uncertain in the company of men, he is much easier to handle. As he’s more than prone to weight gain yet loves to beg for food, strict measures were implemented, limiting the amount of dog biscuits he can get from staff.
Mogyi is our language engineer’s dog, a true Jack Russell, a loveable menace who embodies the saying ‘good things come in small packages’. I can safely say he’s a hardcore ball addict – be it small, big, round, deflated, squeaky, bouncing or filled with treats, he runs until his legs carry him, risking a collapsed lung in the process. It was interesting to observe how the balance of power shifted between the two small-sized dogs. Mogyi gradually took over supervising entry to the office, and he’s currently the first to show interest in any visitors.
And the lesson learned? It’s not always easy being an office dog, and surprises do come along, for dogs and people alike. Feedback must be handled maturely and responsibly, potential problems need to be communicated honestly, and in return, these cute, wordlessly communicating balls of fur bring smiles to faces day after day.
