Employees at Google, Chewy, and other companies enjoy their small outdoor pet parks complete with play and relief areas
By Pam Foster, PetFriendlyOffice.com
As I explore the great wide world of pet-related employee benefits for you, I never know what I’ll discover.
This time it’s Google-branded doggy fire hydrants for their Redmond, WA campus, pictured here. What a hoot!
I learned about this after speaking with Nora VandenBerghe, the COO of Dog-ON-It-Parks®.
Her company has been creating dog parks and other amenities for businesses, municipalities, and other entities since 2009 … and I know you’ll be fascinated by the unique and fun work that they do.
I can hardly imagine a more creative and rewarding line of work.
So I recently caught up with Nora to get the inside scoop on what Dog-ON-It-Parks is all about, especially for companies looking to offer pet-related employee benefits.
When did your firm get involved with pet-friendly office projects?
Nora: We’ve primarily designed and outfitted dog parks for municipalities, multifamily (apartments, condos & HOA’s) since we started. But with the increase in pet-friendly workplaces, we’ve seen a bump in requests for help there as well over the past few years.
We love supporting any business that allows folks to bring their dogs to work.
Can you describe what you offer to clients when assisting with a pet-friendly office?
Nora: Sure! We offer space planning, design, and recommendations that add value to any pet-friendly workplace. We have the ability to work with spaces and budgets of any size.
The majority of our pet-friendly office designs have been small outdoor parks, like what we did for Google’s pet-relief area.
How do you go about identifying what they need?
Nora: Available space often dictates the direction we go in. For instance, do they have any usable outdoor space? If so, what is the size and what options do we have to improve it?
If it’s indoor only, do they have plumbing to accommodate an indoor pet relief area? Or do they have usable rooftop space?
We also look at the number of dogs in the office, their size and needs.
From designing dog parks for the past 20 years, we understand the need to think outside the box sometimes.
Can you describe some of the specific office amenities, spaces, structures, etc. you’ve recommended and created?
Nora: Our Rover Relief Area is a popular solution for doggy daycares and airports, and with its small footprint, it will also work well in an urban office environment with proper drainage.
We offer custom pet waste pick up stations that are all-inclusive and includes refill bags, a dispenser, post, sign and waste receptacle.
What can you tell me about the Google fire hydrant project?
Nora: They contacted us to provide custom hydrants and some surfacing for their pet relief area. The hydrants are a fun addition to any outdoor space and also help keep dogs from “watering” a building or landscaping. 😊
We’ve done more custom projects for corporations since then, including for Chewy’s corporate headquarters. They have a small dog park on site.
Do you get involved with their pet-friendly office policies/ground rules, insurance, legal, etc.?
Nora: We do not. Legal and insurance requirements are so varied and dependent on different factors, so we feel our customers have the best understanding on their specific needs.
However, basic rules do typically have some similarities with dog parks; no aggressive dogs, be mindful of food/drink, dogs must be under voice control, pick up your pet’s waste, employer is not responsible for damage or injury. That falls solely on the employee/dog owner, etc.
What have been your clients’ biggest benefits of your pet-friendly office?
Nora: ROI is a huge one; dogs are known to help to offset stress and lower blood pressure. They are also a big morale boost, along with the entertainment factor.
We personally haven’t measured retention as we typically don’t see much turnover, but I do know folks who got “pandemic puppies” sure appreciate the ability to bring their dogs to work.
My Great Dane Ripley was a pandemic puppy and became a solo dog a year ago after we lost our senior pittie mix and other Dane. She really appreciates going into the warehouse with me now and the exposure to new smells, sounds and people is so valuable.
How about hurdles or problems? And how have you addressed or overcome those hurdles?
Nora: If the office is an open floor plan like ours is, we try to limit the dogs each day to pups within the same family unless they’ve already met and have been tested for compatibility with other office dogs. This helps to keep the peace when closed door offices aren’t an option.
The other hurdles can be the ones that are tough to address; maybe someone’s dog is not a good fit in an office environment. They may be prone to barking, don’t like someone or are generally too distracting (like cute puppies!).
We currently have one office dog who absolutely hates Gary (our VP), for a reason no one can identify. He mostly comes in now when Gary isn’t there and if they are both in the office, Banjo is kept on a leash and given high-value treats to distract him. (Poor Gary, LOL. He seems like a great person.)
What’s been the biggest happy surprise or fun thing about this … for your firm and for clients?
Nora: I think an improvement in quality of life, both for employees and their dogs. Dogs rely on their people to expand their worlds, and a trip to the office can be a great adventure for them along with an opportunity to boost confidence and build on your existing relationship.
For us helping, we love doing custom products so seeing what companies request and how we can accommodate them is always fun.
Finally – why are you a great resource for companies looking for guidance?
Nora: We were the very first company in the US to specialize in dog parks and dog park products, so we have almost two decades of experience under our belts (or collars!)!
We have a wealth of knowledge and creativity to offer our customers. Most of us also have dogs, and having a good understanding of dog behavior and needs also benefits our customers.
I also asked Nora about their own pets in the office as well as other pet-related benefits.
She told me, “We have several office dogs that rotate through on a regular basis. Here are a few photos of them in our office and warehouse. These pets bring us notoriety! Many of them are featured on our website and in our catalog, and also in magazines when we’ve been asked to provide photography.”
Here’s a collage of the gorgeous Dog-ON-It Parks pets: Cody, Frankie, Gozer, Moxie, Otto, Rip, and Super Banjo
Nora added, “We also offer paid bereavement leave as part of our PTO (paid time off) in the event of a pet’s passing, along with company purchased treats for ‘working’ dogs.”
“And of course, we have a comfy office couch that doubles as a dog bed. 😉”
PetFriendlyOffice.com note: Many thanks to Nora and Dog-ON-It-Parks for sharing their fascinating and fun insights!
About Dog-ON-It-Parks
Dog-ON-It-Parks is a collaboration of ideas in many ways. When you combine 35 years’ experience as a veterinary assistant (including showing and breeding dogs!) with 25 years of experience designing playground equipment for public parks, the result is a wide range of pet-friendly products designed by experts. As avid dog owners – they have over 800 pounds of dogs at the office! – they want each and every agility product to be safe, fun, and incredibly durable. Discover more at their website.
About PetFriendlyOffice.com
If you’re an HR Manager or business owner, you’ll appreciate having “All the Things to Make Pet-Related Benefits Easy” in one place. With my Pet-Friendly Office DIY System (checklists, templates, policy guidance, and more), you can set up everything yourself. Or let me handle most of it for you through my Pet-Friendly Office CONCIERGE SYSTEM. Can’t allow pets in the office? I can help you choose other popular benefits for your company. Ultimately, you’ll be the hero who leads a pet-friendly culture, increasing employee retention and attracting top talent.
Let’s make quick work of your mission. Start with this FREE resource: HR SURVIVAL GUIDE to Pet-Related Benefits — Pam Foster, your Chief Pet-Friendly Officer
Want your company’s pet-friendly story to be featured in a PetFriendlyOffice.com article? Contact me at pam@contentclear.com