Today I get to interview another friend from across the ocean. I love barking with office dogs from other countries so we can talk about different work cultures. One thing is universal, though; humans really need us in the office! Today I am barking with Dotty, from The Training Effect in the United Kingdom!
Napa: What breed are you?
Dotty: I’m actually a cross breed. My mum was a Black Labrador and I never knew my father, but I’m pretty sure he was a Border Collie.
Napa: Tell me more about working at The Training Effect.
Dotty: The Training Effect is a United Kingdom-wide company who design services and intervention programs for schools and local authorities. My human dad Mark (he runs the place) says that the work he does is focused on risk-taking behaviors, substance misuse, and emotional health & well-being.
Napa: What is a typical day like in The Training Effect office?
Dotty: We usually get to the office around 8:30am. While Mark makes the coffee I usually have a good sniff around to make absolutely sure that I haven’t missed anything to eat (crumbs, unidentified matter, etc). Around 9:00am Tania and Aaron come in; they work here, too and provide support to all the projects we run. They are lovely and I especially like to sit next to Aaron and stare at him when he eats his lunch. Sometimes I don’t come to work as Mark is often traveling all over the country. On these days, I usually go with my human mum to her stables. She works with horses. I’m a very lucky dog!
Napa: Whose desk do you sit under most often?
Dotty: I have a bed under Mark’s desk, but I also like to find the smallest slither of sunlight coming through the blinds and lie in that spot.
Napa: When you get bored around the office (in between important in the office tasks), how do you keep busy?
Dotty: Our office is on the first floor so I can’t look out of the window. I usually go to sleep and dream about chasing balls, squirrels, birds, etc.
Napa: What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten around the office (even if you weren’t supposed to)?
Dotty: A chocolate hob-nob, which is a kind of oat biscuit covered in dark chocolate that we have in the UK. I know, I know, I’m not meant to eat chocolate as I’m a dog, but they were left out! Okay, when I say they were left out, they were actually on a shelf. Alright! When I say shelf I mean they were in a cupboard…
Napa: What’s your favorite funny dog video? Please share the link!
Dotty: This one of me! I went to the pub with my family and the kids got me to jump out of a window!
Napa: Where are you from? What’s your favorite trait about the area you live in?
Dotty: I live in the middle of town, but I go to the countryside a lot as my family are always out and about doing things. My favorite is going to the woods to chase squirrels and rabbits.
Napa: If you could tell your human co-workers anything, what would it be?
Dotty: Thank you for occasionally dropping fragments of your lunch on the carpet.
Napa: Can you share any advice for other office dogs?
Dotty: Make sure you get lots of sleep in the office, working can be tiring!
Napa: What kind of training did your human coworkers make you sit through when you first got hired?
Dotty: I obviously had to complete induction training which consisted of the usual overview of office etiquette, don’t scratch when we have visitors, no barking when people walk in, etc. Really just the same stuff that the humans get told when they start.
Napa: Have you ever created any trainings of your own?
Dotty: As Director of Biscuit Crumbs at The Training Effect, I have put together a pretty swish PowerPoint (if I do say so myself) on my trademarked 26-point grading scale which helps identify which crumbs to eat first. At the time of this writing, no humans in the office have shown the least bit of interest in attending the training but I live in hope.
Are you an office dog? Is your co-worker a canine? Get in touch on Twitter or leave a note in the comments section if you’d like to be interviewed.
Side note: Do you run a business in the pet industry? Would you like to drive more traffic and sales to your site through a search-optimized pet blog? Get in touch with my office-mates at Lantern Content Marketing!
