
By Rose Miller
While in Pennsylvania on business, my husband and I stayed at a “pet friendly” hotel. Second day in, my husband commented that he feels his life has gone to the dogs because we found ourselves eating and sleeping with dogs.
Instead of waking to a crying baby, we awoke to a whining and barking dog needing to be let out. There is a pervasive trend in American society to place the same importance on pets as they do for a human family member. In fact, we hear people instantly complain when young children are in the room, yet there seems to be a greater tolerance for animals.
There is a growing demand for pet-friendly policies in today’s workplace. Companies are dealing with mandated leaves for family caregivers and “pet parents” desire the same type of leaves for their pet responsibilities. A study conducted by the American Pet Products Associations found that 17 percent of employers had pet-friendly policies.
They include: bringing pets to work; furternity (leave for the birth or adoption of a pet); and pet bereavement leave.








