Dogs are infiltrating every corner of public life. Where there were once clear rules—no dogs in grocery stores, cafes, or the workplace—are now just gentle suggestions. Big Dog is getting its way.
Bloomberg reports that there is a brewing war between dog owners and people who have chosen to live a life sans dogs. The latter expected to enjoy their existences without their dogs being a particular issue, but pet ownership has encroached into venues where it was at one time unacceptable for anything to bark. Like at their jobs, for instance.
The number of dog-friendly workspaces have increased from eight to 11 percent since 2014. Not a huge jump, but a fairly rapid one, which Bloomberg is attributing to the money made off the “humanization of pets.” Many large companies have fallen for the capitalist pet-personification and instituted an open doggy-door policy. Like Amazon, for example, where it sounds like a dog’s freedom was prioritized over the comfort of a human employee at least once:
“We live in such a dog-adoring culture that it’s hard to admit when you aren’t totally enamored of them. What you are supposed to feel — what you must always feel — is love,” writes former Amazon employee Corina Zappia. As the company planned its move to a fancy new complex, Zappia, who had a traumatic canine encounter as a child, hoped for an office on a dog-free floor. “I am allergic, but to be honest I don’t really love the idea of working around dogs,” she confessed in an email to her department head. “I would like to be on a dog-free floor, if that’s okay.” It wasn’t.
Zappia says she brought in a note from an allergist, too, but she was still placed on a dog-friendly floor in a shared, windowless office. One of her coworkers regularly walked their dog around the halls, while others huddled in their own offices with their canines. It was Dog Town.
The workplace isn’t the only territory where dog owners are playing tug-o-war, reports Forbes. The increasing number of uncertified “emotional support animals” on airplanes has become a point of contention. For some, being in a metal flying tube with a doggo in a vest who might bite increases the stress of travel, but do they get special treatment? No!
The full article seems to be pushing dogs as the new babies when it comes to fighting over who should be allowed to enter restaurants. Personally, I like pups, but I also work from home so they’re not pooping under my desk. I have also gasped theatrically after noticing someone traipsing through the produce aisle with a dog in their cart. Are you freaking kidding me?! Hmm, actually, maybe I do want to fight about this.