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Every year, on the last Thursday in June, German offices echo to the sound of baying and barking. It was on this day three years ago that the German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund e. V.) called for the "Canine Colleague" campaign. This time round, the animal taster day takes place on 24th of June.

To give Fido, Fiffi & Co a special welcome to this year's "Canine Colleague" day, Fressnapf has come up with something exceptional: So while their masters worked, around 50 dogs were having a great time. The company had erected a wellness tent in front of their headquarters where a comprehensive pampering schedule involving a dog hairdresser and a physiotherapist awaited them. Massage was also on the agenda.

The objective of the campaign: To motivate companies to give dogs an opportunity in the workplace. Fressnapf is the pioneer when it comes to the subject of dogs in the workplace. For years now, dogs have been treated as "part of the furniture" in the everyday office routine of Europe's biggest specialty retail chain for pet food and accessories. The company has drawn up a "dog etiquette" especially for this which guarantees that the workflow remains undisturbed and that good animal-human relations exist within office life.

The advantages of having dogs in the workplace - and studies confirm this - are obvious: our four-legged friends calm the nerves in stressful situations and also provide for adequate exercise in the fresh air during breaks. And, of course, the dogs prefer being with their owners - they are social animals, after all. "With the wellness agenda, we not only wanted to give the staff a treat, but also do the office dogs some good. We're returning a bit of that energy and lust for life which they give us each day", says Fressnapf's spokesman, Achim Schütz.

The resonance over the "Canine Colleague" campaign day is great - countless companies are taking part and allowing their employees to bring their dogs with them into the office. In the first year - 2008 - 800 companies participated. Last year it was over 1,000 and the Animal Welfare Association is reckoning with an increase for this year as well.

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"Canine Colleague" day 2010 at the Fressnapf headquarters RGB – JPG Dog hairdresser Michaela Stürmeyer and physiotherapist Jasmin Schmitz pamper lady dachshund Issy - to the delight of her owner Gertrud Wolters. Photo: Achim Schütz Download (1663KB)