Pet Sitters International’s Take Your Dog To Work Day Celebrates 25th Anniversary
On Friday, June 23, companies across the globe will welcome employees’ dogs to the office in celebration of Pet Sitters International’s 25th annual Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay)—a milestone event celebrating the great companions dogs make and encouraging their adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups and humane societies.
Pet Sitters International (PSI), the world’s leading educational organization for professional pet sitters, established TYDTWDay in 1999 to give back to the pet community from which their members earn their living. Since that time, PSI has encouraged employers across the United States—and around the world—to open their doors to employees’ dogs for one fun summer Friday each year, all for a good cause.
“In 1999 for our first Take Your Dog To Work Day, we called businesses, faxed media outlets and promoted the event to everyone we could think of. We estimate that 300 businesses participated that first year,” said PSI Founder and CEO Patti Moran. “Now we are honored to see thousands of participants flood social media with their photos on Take Your Dog To Work Day each year, and we expect participation to grow for our 25th celebration.”
PSI encourages businesses and pet parents to visit Pet Sit to download a free 2023 TYDTWDay Event Toolkit that includes a variety of celebration tips and ideas—as well as a sample “dogs at work” policy, employee participation form templates and more.
“This special day continues to highlight the joy of pet ownership and the importance of pet adoption, and we can’t wait to see all the creative ways that companies will be ‘working with a dog’ on June 23,” said Moran.
Joining in PSI’s 25th annual TYDTWDay celebration is CESAR Canine Cuisine — exclusive dog food brand sponsor of this year’s event — who supports the campaign’s mission by sharing simple and engaging ways for pet parents and businesses to welcome dogs in the office. This June 23, look for a business lunch offer on the CESAR website where they’ll be covering lunch for participants and their pups when they dine together on TYDTWDay (terms and conditions apply).
“As we celebrate 25 years of Take Your Dog To Work Day, we appreciate the support of the CESAR brand, who is passionate about making the world a more dog-friendly place,” said PSI President Beth Stultz-Hairston.
There are a variety of ways that businesses can celebrate on TYDTWDay, from planning a silent auction and donating the proceeds to a local shelter to holding a pet and owner look-alike contest to add fun to the day. For businesses whose employees work remotely, PSI encourages these companies to host virtual celebrations to allow employees to show off their pets remotely and still support animal shelters and/or animal-rescue groups. Both in-person and virtual celebration ideas are included in the free 2023 TYDTWDay Event Toolkit.
“PSI also encourages participating businesses to partner with local professional pet sitters and dog walkers to learn more about pet-care options for their employees on days their pets can’t come to work,” said Stultz-Hairston.
For businesses closed on Friday or those with cat lovers who want equal time, Take Your Pet To Work Week (TYPTWWeek) takes place the week leading up to TYDTWDay, June 19-23, 2023 and Take Your Cat To Work Day (TYCTWDay) takes place on Monday, June 19, 2023.
To learn more, visit http://www.takeyourdog.com or the Take Your Dog To Work Day Facebook page.
PSI believes every pet should be a wanted pet with a professional pet sitter to care for them when pet parents are unavailable. Pet parents who need a professional pet sitter or dog walker to assist them during their event—or any day of the year—can search for a PSI member pet sitter at http://www.petsit.com/locate.
Click to view the 2023 Take Your Dog To Work Day Media Kit.