Pets are now part of nearly 87 million U.S. households, and more people than ever want to bring pets with them to work.

Pets are good for business, too. At work, they can boost morale, build a sense of community and get us up for regular walking breaks – all things that are good for our health. That’s why more employers are exploring pet-friendly workplace programs.

This toolkit provides how-to’s and best practices to help you make your workplace pet friendly.

Enjoy the many benefits that being pet friendly brings for your employees and your business!

Key steps for launching a pet-friendly workplace program

• Understand ordinances and requirements for pets in your workplace.
• Determine how you can offer needed amenities like pet relief areas and pet hydration stations onsite or nearby.
• Make the case to your leadership team to get program approval.
• Engage influencers at your workplace to help promote the concept.
• Conduct a survey to get input and help everyone feel engaged in the plan.
• Develop a pet policy and participant pledge.
• Create signage and educational materials to help your program succeed.
• Launch the program.
• Track results to keep learning and developing.

Tools to help you get started

• Benefits of Allowing Pets in Workplaces
• Questions and Answers about Pet-Friendly Workplaces
• How to Convince Leadership to Approve a Pet-Friendly Program
  • Sample Presentation for Leadership about Going Pet Friendly (PPT)
  • Sample Presentation for Leadership about Going Pet Friendly (PDF)
• Legal Considerations for Welcoming Pets at Work
• Facilities Considerations for Welcoming Pets at Work
• Designing a New Pet-Friendly Office
• “Pupgrading” Your Office Design to Be Pet Friendly
• Signage for Pet-Friendly Offices
• Safety Considerations for Pet-Friendly Offices
• Cleaning Considerations for Pet-Friendly Offices
• How to Create a Pet Policy for Your Workplace
• Sample Workplace Pet Policy
• How to Create a Participant Pledge for Your Workplace
• Sample Participant Pledge for Pets at Work
• Using Leashes to Communicate Pet Preferences
• Communicating Your Pet-Friendly Workplace Program
• More Pet-Friendly Benefits to Consider at Your Workplace

More resources from our Pets Welcome pet-friendly business toolkit

• Emergency Planning for Pets at Your Business
• Making Pets Welcome with Pet Amenities
• Best Practices for Pet Relief Areas
• Pet Behavior 101 for Businesses

Pet-friendly workplace toolkit downloads

Other pet-friendly resources

• Playbook for Pet-Friendly Cities (PDF)
• 12 Traits of Pet-Friendly Cities model
• Pet-Friendly City Assessment
• WALTHAM: Workplaces that don’t allow dogs could be barking up the wrong tree
• Service Dogs Welcome Toolkit