Dog Days Before Delilah
“It’s a very simple story,” said Donna Raucher, CEO of Global Promotional Sourcing (GPS). “Since I got a puppy, we became dog friendly.”
“My kids were the ones who were deprived of a dog growing up,” explains Donna, who worked 15 years as a teacher in the Las Vegas area. While Donna was teaching, her husband, Steve Raucher, founded GPS and was working to build a casino gifting solutions company. Long hours in the office and the classroom meant a dog would be home alone for long stretches of time, not allowing the Raucher family to add a dog into their lives.
“When I retired from teaching in 2016 and joined GPS full-time, I got a puppy,” Donna says. That puppy is now a full-grown lab mix named Delilah, who can still be found most weekdays sitting in Donna’s office. Delilah was the office's first dog, forever changing the Global Promotional Sourcing brand.
Benefits Of A Dog-Friendly Office
Dog-friendly offices are popping up across the United States. In 2015, only 8% of offices were dog-friendly. Now, that number has jumped to around 20%. Many top tech corporations around the United States, including Google, Uber, and Airbnb, allow their employees to bring their canine friends into the office with them.
The increase in dog-friendly offices isn’t just about preventing dogs from spending long days at home alone. Companies are seeing workplace benefits from the introduction of dogs. Aside from the predictable benefits of comfort and stress relief, according to a Washington State University study, people who interacted with dogs saw an enhanced ability to think, plan, and concentrate. Office dogs can also increase collaboration, as a Virginia Commonwealth University found. When dogs are in the office, people are more likely to have conversations and get to know each other.
As many companies are issuing return-to-office mandates, the dog-friendly office can become a compromise. Studies have shown positive results when asking employees to return to a dog-friendly office, including:
· 87% of dog-friendly workplaces report a positive effect on the likelihood of employees returning to the office.
· 94% of people are supportive of having pets in the workplace.
· 44% of pet owners said they would consider a career move for a pet-friendly workplace.
· 37% said they would sacrifice vacation time and take a pay cut to bring their pet to work.
Switching to a dog-friendly office provides numerous benefits, and GPS has not changed since the switch in 2016.
Who Let The Dogs In?
Once Delilah set the precedent for dogs in office, the doors opened for all employees. At first, only one or two dogs would occasionally join the office. But late in 2018, Nicole Mertel joined the GPS team and brought her dog, Miley. Miley came into the office nearly every day, marking the first employee pup to become a mainstay.
Fast-forward eight years, and if you visit the GPS office, you may run into any of the ten dogs roaming the halls. Each pup has a unique personality, from the welcoming committee on the first floor to the dogs who sit through every showroom meeting.
More Than Office Attendance
Becoming a dog-friendly office is more than just an employee perk. Dogs have become a significant part of the GPS brand in recent years. If you were to attend a trade show and walk by the GPS booth, you might go home with a small plush dog with a purple bandana. This is the GPS mascot bearing a resemblance to Delilah. If you are scrolling on LinkedIn and search for GPS, you will see various pictures and videos of the GPS dogs. In 2024, GPS created the first edition of our dog calendars, starting a tradition that will delight and entertain clients for years to come.
Being the face of a brand takes work from the office dogs, but it doesn’t go unrecognized. New dogs receive offer letters when their owners get hired. This year, we brought on Bocce, the Chief Fetching Officer. All dogs also receive a GPS bandana to wear during office days (only if they keep it on). While treats aren’t company-mandated, office dogs can find them inmost of the employee offices they walk into.
Any Canine Questions?
If you are interested in learning more about GPS, dog-friendly offices or want to see more dogs, contact us today.
