Dogs.

I write with my love of dogs and my distaste for misinformation. George Miller's letter in the August 1 News stated, "Let's talk about the overwhelming majority of people who share my view that pets belong at home [as opposed to the workplace]."

I question where Mr. Miller gets his figures. Statistics from the American Veterinary Medical Association's 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook and the American Pet Products Association's 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey indicate that household ownership of pets has grown from 56 percent to 68 percent in the past several years, with 48 percent of all households having at least one dog. The Ollie 2018 Dogs in the Workplace Survey found that 93 percent of dog parents wish they could bring their dogs to work. Before even talking about cat-lovers and avid pet supporters who might not own an animal, we are already at more than 44 percent of the population (dog parents who want to bring their dogs to work) disagreeing with Mr. Miller's view.

Then there is the Banfield Pet Hospital study from 2016, which concluded some fascinating things that belie Mr. Miller's claim. First, a majority of those who are in pet-friendly workplaces find that being pet-friendly is a benefit to the employees individually and as a group, internally (e.g., stress) and externally (e.g., productivity). Second, a majority of individuals in workplaces without pet-friendly policies indicated they would be more likely to stay with their company if the company instituted a pet-friendly policy. Third, nearly two-thirds of the time, potential candidates ask about pet-friendly workplace policies during the interview process. In the executive summary, Banfield stated, "Overwhelmingly, responses indicate that pet-friendly workplaces are viewed as highly positive, boosting morale, contributing to talent retention, and providing employers with a competitive edge in the recruitment process."

For peer-reviewed research, I recommend reading "Dogs in the Workplace: A Review of the Benefits and Potential Challenges," by Anne M. Foreman, et al., in the May 2017 edition of the International Journal...