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Furry Friends in the Workplace!

Furry Friends in the Workplace!

We love animals – especially our friendly pooches who frequent our workplace. So many people comment on how great it is to have dogs in the office and we couldn’t agree more! We wanted to share our thoughts on what it’s like and why we love it.


Tallie sporting her H & Co. bandana.

“It might sound odd – but the dogs bring a more human side to the stuff we do. For example: occasionally we have to give bad news to a client about a big tax bill that they weren’t expecting (typically a client who has just come to us to sort out a situation). It doesn’t always go well. In the past 3 years, I’ve had at least a dozen reach for the Kleenex, and one had to breathe into a brown paper bag for a few minutes. In these moments, Tallie is our most important team member. Two minutes of petting that soft fuzzy head can make anything seem better.

(In fact, she’s so good at what she does that I’m thinking we should claim her as a business expense…)”

~Jules Hawkins

 


Tallie hanging out in Allison`s office.

“Bringing your dog to work, especially in a professional office setting, humanizes what we do. For many people visiting their accountant’s office isn’t usually a warm and fuzzy experience. It’s wonderful to see the smiles on clients when they first walk in and realize we have dogs in the office. The entire tone of the conversation changes because they tell us stories about their dogs. They realize that although we handle their financials which is often seen as an uptight and formal arrangement we all have another side.

Our goal at Hawkins & Co. is to make clients comfortable with their numbers. It’s pretty hard to do that if they aren’t first comfortable with our team and in our office. The dogs help them to feel comfortable much quicker. Our entire approach to accounting and serving clients is so unexpected and having dogs in the office is an extension of that.

It changes the entire atmosphere within the office as well. When you’re having a frustrating day you can spend 5 minutes petting the dogs, taking them for a walk or giving them treats and all of a sudden your perspective changes. On our busy days, it makes you feel like not only is it ok to take a break it’s important because the dogs don’t understand tax deadlines but they do understand the need to go outside and get some fresh air.”

~Allison Hawkins


Danno and Thomas at home.

“I enjoy the walks around the block. It’s a great way to get a little fresh air and share a couple of laughs with my fellow team members”

~Paul Rivest

 

 

 

 

 


Maggie relaxing at home.
Caesar at home.

“Having dogs in the office contributes to overall well-being: No matter how busy things get, there is always time for a quick walk around the block, which is necessary for the dogs but also provides the staff with fresh air and a bit of exercise mid-day.

The dogs help reduce stress: when they lie around napping, it fosters an atmosphere of relaxation; also, there is always time for a quick belly rub or ear scratch between trips to the photocopier!”

~Margaret Deneau


Miles in the Vancouver office.

“For me bringing Miles to work was first born out of necessity – I couldn’t leave him at home due to repairs being done and he was graciously welcomed than quickly required to be present whenever possible. The best part for me about having him in office was being able to share my love for the breed (greyhounds) and how retired racing dogs make wonderful loving pets with my team members and clients – it clearly rang true with the Hawkins’ family! Now that I am remote and working from home Miles is a source of stress and loneliness relief, he is usually flaked out on his bed directly behind my chair ready for a pet or one-sided chat anytime!”

~Jaclyn Webb


Ronaldo at home.
Penelope trying to stay at home in bed 🙂

“I love the fact that I can bring my little Penelope to the office. She not only gets to have a great family at home, my co-workers are also her family. We all pitch in taking the dogs for walks and team walks are a regular thing for us. Sometimes we talk through a work issue while walking or we just spend some time getting to know each other a little better. The dogs make sure we take a break and usually have a good chuckle at the cute things they do. I highly recommend others to give dogs in the office a try.”

~Danielle Ramsten


Ginger on the left and Shelby on the right.

“In my opinion, there is no better way to be greeted at the door than by a friendly dog. Walking into the office and seeing one of our office dogs cannot help but bring a smile to my face. It becomes hard to walk by one of the dogs without being drawn in for a scratch behind the ear or a belly rub!

There is no better way to lighten the office atmosphere then to see a happy dog wagging their tail. Dogs are a great way to bring everyone together – they are our shareable family members!”

~Andrew Leaman

 

 

 

 


Maria and Jane snuggling at home.

“Having dogs in our office adds a sort of lightheartedness that makes it easy to focus on tasks for longer periods of time. Then, when our brain starts to “fry” we can take them for a walk to recuperate – a total win-win situation!”

 

~Madeline Berthiaume

 

 


“Having dogs at work creates a much more relaxing atmosphere in the office. Being able to take Penelope and Tallie out for a walk drastically improves the work/life balance without spending a considerable amount of time outside of the office. They are definitely a welcomed distraction (especially during tax season)!”

~ Dave Weston

 


“ I believe dogs can be cute at times. They’re an excuse to take a quick break to pet them or give them food or whatever it is they need. It’sd like a little boost of positivity around the place.”

~Rand Al-Naseri