If you know me, you’ll know I’m not much of a pet person….ok, yes, we have a dog in our home but it belonged to my husband and his kids first.  And in all fairness she is only six pounds and doesn’t tend to be much work.

I’m allergic to most cats and dogs and learned a long time ago (after I moved out on my own) that it was rather nice not having to take care of a pet or deal with allergies!

So, as you can imagine, I’m also not a fan of having pets in the workplace.  And the experience I had with a dog at work only solidified that fact.  

Here’s my story about my crap day at work!

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Remember, all the information in this blog post is published in good faith and for general information purpose only.  I am not an attorney, nor do I provide legal advice. The information provided is my personal opinion and not that of any organization, business, company, agency or other individuals.  The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content of this article. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter.  Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (www.hrraw.com), is strictly at your own risk.

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Penny Horton | September 11, 2018

One day the CEO of the company began bringing a new puppy to work.  It was a cute, clumsy thing and of course, the dog got all sorts of attention from the employees.

 In fact, many of them kept dog treats in their desk so that when the dog wandered around the office area, they could feed her.

 

On one particular morning the CEO’s assistant was looking for the dog and came by my cubicle.  She asked if I had seen the dog and I assured her that I had not.

Later that day I was working at my desk, sitting in my cubicle, eating my lunch.  My back was turned away from the entrance to my cubicle, facing my computer screen.   Suddenly I was overwhelmed with a very unpleasant smell that was wafting through the air.  I sniffed a couple of times and then recognized the distinct smell.  I slowly turned my chair around and to my horror I saw it.  A large steaming pile of dog feces just in front of my cubicle.

I was livid!  Did I mention already that I’m not a fan of dogs, particularly in the workplace and I am definitely not a fan of their bodily functions…in my cubicle?

I promptly got up, stepped over the 💩, and marched straight to the CEO’s office.

When you first enter the CEO’s office you enter into a smaller room first; it’s where the assistant to the CEO sits.  At the back corner of that room is the door that leads into the CEO’s office.  I wasn’t sure whether or not the CEO was in the office and to be honest, I wasn’t thinking about that when I blurted out to the assistant that I had found the dog.

“Hey Nancy, I found the dog you were looking for….she just took a big Sh$! in my cubicle!”, I exclaimed.  And much to my chagrin I heard the CEO respond apologetically as she walked out to speak with me.

Still really livid at this point I proceeded to explain the situation to the CEO.  “I know you love that dog,” I told the CEO, “but that was really disgusting”.  The CEO was clearly embarassed and professed surprise at the dog’s behavior.  I told the CEO that puppies are just like babies, if you put food in, like all the employees liked to do by feeding the dog treats, then waste will come out the other end!

The CEO apologized, had the assistant help clean up the mess and instructed her to put an air freshner in my cubicle.

I proceeded to head directly to my VP’s office where I told him of the incident and my interaction with the CEO because I wanted him to be aware of the situation in case I got fired for calling out the CEO’s dog.

Within a couple of days a company memo went out to the entire workforce asking employees to stop feeding the dog and thankfully, I continued to prosper in my career without regard to the situation.

However many of my co-worker’s got quite a kick out of the incident and my immediate boss thought it was hilarious.  She thought it was so much so that she proceeded to buy a stuffed dog from the company store (that was a replica of the CEO’s dog) and placed it on my desk with a strategically aligned unwrapped chocolate kiss candy for me to find when I arrived at work one day.

I still have the stuffed dog today, sitting fondly on my bookshelf as a hilarious reminder of that crappy day at work!

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Reality Check

• Do you know the legalities, risk and requirements associated with animals in the workplace?
• Do you need help defining policies and guidelines around animals in the workplace?
• Are you required to allow an employee to bring their therapy dog to work as a reasonable accomodation request?

If you need help navigating an animal related situation in the workplace, Who’s Your HR? can help!

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