This can be tricky. Assuming your pet is a dog given research show 75% of pets who come to work are dogs, 15% are cats, and the rest many and varied. 

You may love your BarkyMcBarkface. But that doesn’t mean your boss will. Or that your co-workers won’t break out in a rash in their presence. The assumption that your pet at work was a dog is based on research that shows 75% of pets taken in are dogs, with cats accounting for 15%.

So proceeding as if your pet at work is a dog, this can be tricky. You may love your BarkyMcMarkface. But that doesn't mean your boss will Most of us experience pets in the workplace vicariously: through colleagues who bring along theirs.

That was the experience of Irish Congress of Trade Unions press officer and former RTÉ producer, Conor Kavanagh, who says: “When I was in RTÉ, my colleague Paddy O’Gorman, used to like the company of his little dog. He’d say many people talked to him on the street, as a result of seeing his pet on a lead." 

Asked how the dog was perceived, he says it drove some in RTÉ "mad".  

"The dog was called Scoop or something like that,” he shares.

Just as I’m thinking that Kavanagh was clearly not among those maddened by the woof — also, that ‘Scoop’ is the perfect name for a reporter’s dog and work companion — he interrupts my reverie, to say he’s pretty sure the dog’s name is, in fact, Snoop.

Propelled by that noun, I enquire of the podcaster and former RTÉ veteran Paddy O’Gorman what he remembers about bringing the aforementioned canine into the national broadcaster offices, back in the day.

He’s painting the garden gate as we speak. “My famous dog from the telly was called Snoop,” he says. "A little rescue dog. A terrier cross.” 

We laugh then, agreeing that that’s a hard combination to beat. “I had 14 years with Snoop and really, he’d talk to you, he would,” he says, and it’s clear how close they were.

He tells me about how when he’d be working in some of the toughest parts of Northern Ireland, having his dog with him would result in people walking up to him to say: ‘Ah your wee dog is lovely’.

 “This happened time and again,” he says. “Especially in the loyalist areas.” 

Did having Snoop along provide security for him? “Not really, no,” he replies. "Because he was a very little dog.” 

The fault is mine. My question is poorly timed, its meaning lost in translation.

Clarifying that I don’t mean ‘security’ as in: This (tiny) dog will rip you apart if you attack me, I clarify what I did mean: Did he feel more secure in himself, having his dog with him at work?

“Mmmmmmmm,” he says, before replying: “It was for the company. I used to do quite a lonely job, at times. I might be a couple of days somewhere, staking out a welfare office. Having Snoop with me was company on long journeys.”

 I ask then, about RTÉ, and how his then pet was perceived by some of the brass. Was he liked, tolerated, or what? “Not always. No. I actually got a formal letter. Twice. And I was called in by someone else and told: ‘You can’t have the dog in the building’.  “So, I used to smuggle him in at night. When I’d be using the studio. He was a quiet little dog.” 

Presumably most loved to see the pair of them at work? 

“Most people were fine. But… The main person to object was [redacted],” he says, referring to his former colleague — a household name.

Why was that? “They didn’t like dogs. They were scared of dogs. I had to respect that.” 

Did this person by chance have a run-in with his dog? “They did. One night after I’d been down in the studio edit booth in the radio centre, with Snoop, the two of us were heading back out to go home.

“It was late at night and the radio centre was fairly empty. Snoop was running up the stairs, when [redacted] was coming down the stairs. Then I heard this ‘Arrgggh’ type roar (from the then colleague) and I apologised profusely.

“Then [redacted] said to me: ‘You know Paddy, I don’t like dogs.’ “Now, this was the person who... Well I don’t know if they formally complained. But I did get formally told there would be a disciplinary matter if I brought the dog in anymore.

“I know RTÉ carries people — not good people like [redacted]  — but people who did far less for the station than my dog did. That dog earned his keep. He got me talking with people.” 

Given her role as ICTU head of social policy and employment affairs, it’s a given that Dr Laura Bambrick knows more about the workplace than most of us.

“Some colleagues may be nervous around your furry companion, having had a bad past experience, or not having grown up around pets,” she says. “For others, it could compromise their health, if they’ve allergies.” 

Making the point that workplaces are becoming ‘increasingly multicultural and that what is everyday for us, is not necessarily the same for others.’ 

Dr Bambrick continues: “This needs to be respected and recognised in the workplace. In trying to increase the well-being of one set of employees, there can be unintentional downsides for another.” 

That said, she’s hopeful for the future: “Finding a way to accommodate both groups can be done,” she concludes. “But it will require planning, consultation and agreed ground rules.” She’s right. But we might rest more easily if we knew that our pets could have their voices heard in these discussions.

Someone who dedicates her working life to protecting the wellbeing of animals is PETA’s Vice President of Programmes, Elisa Allen.

Confirming that PETA’s offices have always been animal-friendly, she says: “We encourage other organisations to adopt similar policies wherever possible, so that guardians can remain by their animal’s side.” 

Sharing that experts say dogs should not be left alone for more than four hours at a time, she continues: “They need the opportunity to relieve themselves, stretch their legs, and get psychological stimulation.” 

To those who have to go to work but can’t bring their dog she has these words: “We urge you to hire a dog walker, find a doggie daycare, or make other provisions to ensure that your beloved companions are not stuck at home all day, staring at the wall and waiting for you to return.”