SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—Dogs are some of the most intuitive, caring and loyal pets to have. They have the capabilities to provide therapeutic effects, and let’s face it, we all could use the calming effects of an English bulldog on some hectic work days. Well for Kieran Hardy and the team at Live Eyewear, any and every day is bring your dog to work day. Live Eyewear allows employees to bring their dogs to work in an effort to not only lighten up the work mood, but to ease the minds of employees who are also dog owners.

The Dogs Allowed Policy, which has been in effect since 2010, allows those employees to bring their fury-friends to work. “So many of us have dogs that it seemed like a good idea,” stated Kieran Hardy, CEO Live Eyewear. “Dogs that are left at home all day, every day are bored. They enjoy being able to spend the day with their owners and interact with people. It’s just a more enjoyable day for the dog and the owners get to spend more time with them.”

Though the Dogs Allowed Policy permits these companions to go anywhere, it also comes with some stipulations that help maintain an orderly work environment. “The dogs are always with their owner, they aren’t running around off leash at all,” Hardy explained. “They spend their time in their owners’ office or workspace. Most have dog beds for them to sleep on, water bowls, etc. When they move around the facility or go out for walks they are always on a leash.”

  

While some employees choose to bring their dogs in every day, others opt to bring their four-legged friends to work on a less frequent basis. On any given day, however, there is a German Shepherd, Boxer and Weimaraner at the facility, Hardy stated, with a variety of dogs that come in regularly.

With varying dog breeds running around and different temperaments intermingling, one would expect some clash of personalities. Fortunately for the team at Live Eyewear, no such incidents have happened since the policy has been in effect. “All the dogs that come in are owned by someone who works here at Live,” Hardy said. “Most people who love dogs have well behaved dogs because they put the time in to teach and train them. Obviously if someone had a problematic dog that caused issues or barked a lot, we’d probably curtail that dog, but we’ve never had any issues whatsoever.”

Because the Dogs Allowed Policy has been in effect for so long, most of them have assimilated to the Live Eyewear environment and are used to each other and other Live Eyewear employees as well. “Dogs often bump into each other during the day in the hallways, but they all get to know each other and all are well behaved,” Hardy explained. “In some cases, the dogs have been coming to the office since they were puppies and treat everyone like family. Even the people who work here that don’t have a dog look forward to seeing the dogs that do come in routinely.”

While the idea of having dogs in the office everyday may seem chaotic to some, for Hardy and the team at Live Eyewear, it has proven to be the exact opposite. “Our company is extremely customer focused, so we put a lot of time and resources into making sure eyecare professionals get their Cocoons orders accurately and on time. Having dogs around during what can be fairly demanding days injects a sort of soothing effect for some of us.”