Do You Take Your "Fur Kids" to Work?
You sneeze once, twice, and then a third time and superstitious people say, “someone’s thinking of you,” but when you have an unstoppable attack you become this weirdo person who starts to distract everyone else. Well, this weirdo (me) took my sneezing butt outside. I finally calmed down and went back inside the jewelry store to find two “furry creatures” roaming the store.
What is with some jewelry storeowners taking their “fur kids” to work (stole the word from Jennifer Heebner)? Okay, first of all I don’t think Pekinese are cute dogs…to anyone who has one…I’m sorry. Maybe this will make you feel better—My dad says, “When their your kids, no matter how ugly they are you will always find them to be the cutest in the world,” and then he hugs all three of us kids.
Seriously, a dog is an animal and many puppies have extremely high energy levels that require firm handling. My puppy Cheeto is extremely friendly but most Shiba Inu’s are not and require obedience training at a young age.
If I took him to the store, I’d always be distracted and worried. Here are some good reasons NOT to take your “fur kids” to work:
- Some kid is going to want to play with him and might get hurt. The parents might want to keep the kid busy for a bit while they shop and might not be paying enough attention to their child. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen if the kid gets bit.
- Whether you like it or not dogs are not the cleanliest animals, and some people have extremely good noses…guess what might be smelling up your place—that cute little puppy you call your kid.
- Then there is the bathroom thing…when the dog’s gotta go, he’s gotta go. Now, which one of your sales associates signed on to be a “dog walker?”
- Many people are allergic to pets and even certain breeds as I was.
- Some people can also be very fearful of certain animals. For a cat or dog lover, it can be hard to fathom, but some people are very afraid.
The gist…email me (shanu@gulianis.com) a picture of your “fur kid” so that I can post it for everyone to see how cute he/she is so you won’t have the urge to take him/her to the store.
Merry Ann commented:
I bring my bird to work. Customers seem to love him.....especially
the kids.
Hedda Schupak commented:
Ok, Shanu, you have a point. Grudgingly conceded, because I totally
adore cats and dogs of any sort, will go into any store I had no
intention of entering if they have a four-legged greeter, and
generally embarrass Jim and all my friends by insisting on stopping
to pet any dog or cat we pass on the street. Some of our friends
can't come to our house because the mere presence of our three cats
will send them into complete fits--worse than sneezing, they can't
breathe. But this is our home and our cats live there and our
friends don't-- so we're perfectly happy to meet them in a
restaurant somewhere. However, we're also not conducting a jewelry
business from the house, and I do see your point, although I also
see Jennifer's point and I know lots of stores have very
successfully integrated a four-legged salesperson onto the team.
Maybe the answer is a cat. They don't need to be walked and if a
customer doesn't like them, you can pick them up and put them in
the office with the door closed. Of course, you do need to scoop
the litterbox regularly...
