I talked about animals in the classroom but what about the workplace? I'm lucky enough to be employed at the Audubon Zoo where there are all kinds of exotic creatures. The thing is, the animals that do the most "work" are two guinea pigs named Betty and Veronica, that live in the education office.
These two little girls are called on when the workload it too much. Just holding a guinea pig, takes the tension out of your body and the longer you hold one, your stress seems to melt away. For that time period, you are lulled into a sense of calm by the purring noise they make when you stroke them. After letting Veronica nestle against your body, you feel refreshed and ready to work again. That rude person that was on the phone doesn't matter because Betty will still show you affection.
The fact that positivity breeds positivity, means that even just sharing an office space with these two happy guinea pigs brings up the morale. I could be working on writing confirmation letters, a dull tedious task, and suddenly I hear Betty bucking like a bronco in her enclosure and it brings a smile to my face. (In guinea pigs that bucking behavior is called "popcorning" and is a sign of happiness.)
Maybe this is why some companies started participating in "take your dog to work day". People are starting to realize that animal are beneficial to adults as well as children. Have you ever taken a pet to work? Or worked somewhere that had an "office pet"? Mark your calendar for next year's date June 22, 2012 and see if you can detect a difference when you add an animal to your office.
These two little girls are called on when the workload it too much. Just holding a guinea pig, takes the tension out of your body and the longer you hold one, your stress seems to melt away. For that time period, you are lulled into a sense of calm by the purring noise they make when you stroke them. After letting Veronica nestle against your body, you feel refreshed and ready to work again. That rude person that was on the phone doesn't matter because Betty will still show you affection.
The fact that positivity breeds positivity, means that even just sharing an office space with these two happy guinea pigs brings up the morale. I could be working on writing confirmation letters, a dull tedious task, and suddenly I hear Betty bucking like a bronco in her enclosure and it brings a smile to my face. (In guinea pigs that bucking behavior is called "popcorning" and is a sign of happiness.)
Maybe this is why some companies started participating in "take your dog to work day". People are starting to realize that animal are beneficial to adults as well as children. Have you ever taken a pet to work? Or worked somewhere that had an "office pet"? Mark your calendar for next year's date June 22, 2012 and see if you can detect a difference when you add an animal to your office.
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| Monica snuggling Betty |
Very cool, Sarah :-) I say keep it up and the green chimneys thing is SO you!! That would be AWESOME if you could get your own started -I mean it will BE AWESOME when you get your own started!! :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support!
DeleteI'm new to the blog and am hopping all over due to the "suggested posts". I occasionally bring one of my chinchillas, Chester, into the office. It definitely helps to be able to give him a snuggle or have him sit on my shoulder when I'm having a rough day!
ReplyDeleteHow cool! What kind of office do you work in that allows you to bring in pets?
DeleteWelcome, by the way! How did you find my blog?
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