Animal dreams

Sometimes, the self-centeredness of my blog concerns me a little. Then again, self-centeredness is sort of the essence of a blog. After all, what point of view can we share but our own?

Some weeks ago, one of the Company’s handicapped employees came in for a meeting. He’s legally blind so he came with his seeing dog, a black Labrador. For a short while, it was taken off the harness at which time we were allowed to pet it and fuss over it (the dog, not the owner) which we did profusely.

There was a semi-circle of five of us and the dog went dutifully to each in turn as if to avoid creating jealousy. “Hey, X, you’re so popular!” joked someone. To which the blind man calmly, resignedly answered: “It’s not me, it’s the dog.”

Unfortunately, that was perfectly true. It got me thinking.

I’ve had animals in my workplace a few times. Dolphins and dogs in the Bahamas. Parrots in Honduras. I worked in two home offices in Mississippi, one to which I brought a cat, the other where I kept company to the sweetest Doberman that ever lived.

Here in Quebec as well, at the production company, two of the producers used to come in with their dogs, which I would page on the intercom to get a few laughs.

I don’t smoke, I try to limit my coffee consumption. When I take a short break, nothing unwinds me and resources me like petting or playing with an animal for a few minutes. And I believe this is the case for a lot of people (although I can think right off the bat of two best friends for which it’s not. Bah, they’re the exception to the rule).

Thus, therefore, hence and consequently, it should become a standard for companies to include animals in the workplace. Them poor souls who are allergic or don't like them would be segregated to special minority "pet-free" companies. The rest of the workforce would be happier, more productive with lower blood pressure. It's a fantastic idea. I totally agree with myself.