Kirsten Erlenbruch with office dog Tino
My Tibetan Terrier mix Tino has been the canine center of our Munich office for over eight years now. One of many rescue dogs that have become members of my family over the years.
Tino comes from Italy, where he lived with an elderly lady and was initially adopted by a couple of friends after her death. Unfortunately, the husband was quickly annoyed by the animal and so one day he simply abandoned him. After some time on the street, Tino luckily found his way to a local animal welfare organization called “Streunerfreunde (stray friends) Pompei” and finally to me. Like his predecessors, since day one he has accompanied me to the POELLATH office every day.He soon overcame his initial shyness towards people, especially towards males, and since then he enjoys daily cuddles with his human colleagues (and their treats) to the utmost. Many employees now actively use the daily animal encounters to reduce stress.
The positive effects of office dogs have long been scientifically confirmed. Thus, in companies that permit office dogs, there are
- fewer mental illnesses
- reduced perception of stress
- increase in social skills
- a better work environment
- greater creativity
Studies by Randolph Barker, professor of management at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Dr. Linda Handlin of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have shown that people who have dogs at work have a significantly lower perception of stress due to the release of the hormone oxytocin, suffer less from depression and have better social skills.Not least due to the Coronavirus crisis, several colleagues now have dogs that come to the office every now and then and bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
Animal welfare, especially the protection of street animals, has been a concern of mine and my family for many years and we are happy to provide support, both active and passive, to help alleviate animal suffering.
Providing a nice home for a dog is a responsibility for many years (not just during the Coronavirus pandemic), but there are few other things in life that give one so much happiness and satisfaction.
With this in mind, life without a dog is possible, but senseless.