Here are some of the ‘Pets at Work‘ stories you’ve shared with us:
Cathy Beer and the pets that changed her life Cathy Beer is the happy owner of 9-year-old Maltese Poodle, Rosie and 12-year-old Maltese Terrier, Toby who she picked up from Doggie Rescue. Cathy believes the furry friends are life changers and in 2010, she left the corporate life to build her marketing consultancy and explore her passion for animal welfare. The furry friends keep Cathy company, whether it be snoring so loudly that clients hear or demanding much needed walks and believe it’s never too late for old dogs to learn new tricks! — Cathy Beer, Foresight Marketing & Communications
Darlene Gianoli’s Romeo Hi ladies, I’m Romeo a white toy poodle. I’m sensitive, have a gentle temperament and all the staff at Style Palace where I ‘work’ adore me! I have been here since I was 8 weeks old and ever since I have been charming my colleagues, the couriers, customers and even Renae Ayris, who was crowned Miss Universe Australia. I love featuring as ‘Prince Romeo’ in marketing campaign photo shoots or in social media for Style Palace! — Darlene Gianoli, Style Palace
Small pups, big personalities Stellar Solutions is a small group committed to helping young people to become more resilient and confident. Ed and Milo, twin 4 year-old Jack Russells, have big personalities and are a constant reminder that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously! The pair are there during teleconferences and never leave their owner Mel’s side after 2pm, making sure that a walk a day keeps grumpy and stiff workers away! — Melanie Todd, Stellar Solutions
Buddy the Healing Pup At Joanna Serpanos’ healing centre and gift shop, her male cavoodle Buddy is as therapeutic as the therapies themselves. The 9 week-old pup is affectionate, wise and radiates unconditional love. He even receives his own reiki and already has got attention from clients, customers and the community. Just the other day he even helped sooth a distressed elderly lady who had fallen over. His business advice is love unconditionally! — Joanna Serpanos, Experience Relaxation & Healing
Pauline’s Pets Pauline Ferguson lives with six animals (two dogs, four cats) that remind her that is important to take regular breaks and to remember that you are a person not a frustrated robot at your desk! Her dogs try to convince her to throw a ball while her cats, like 4 year-old Magenta, spend a lot of time wandering about. If they could talk they would say to relax and go out and explore before it all gets away from you! — Pauline Ferguson, Red Fox Building Biology
Pets that are just like their owners! MercerBell is a pet friendly workplace making it an open and warm family business. Their regular visitor is Dexter, a miniature poodle who gets very excited to sit in on meetings. Then there’s Lucy a labradoodle who is loyal and quiet. Yoda and Safi are boxers that sit patiently at their owners’ feet while Elvie is a happy go luck cavoodle. The funny thing is each pet seems to have a similar personality to its owner! — Julie Dormand, MercerBell
Fiona Somerville and her four-legged staff members Working at a national company like The Ideal Consultancy, Fiona Somerville is used to operating with professionals and she does it with the very best- her team of four-legged friends! Eddie (Greyhound), Otis (pug), Louie and Djin Djin (Papillons) all have their own roles at the business from Office Manager to Finance and Security. — Fiona Somerville, The Ideal Consultancy
PETS Mag Editor Knows Pets Editor of PETS magazine, Lauren McKellar knows all too well the benefits of having animals around. In fact, she says that a puppy cuddle can work wonders to help reduce stress during times of frustration. She has two female Staffie dogs, Berry and Danger, who are around when she needs to take some time out from the office to clear or head and play outside. If they could give one piece of business advice it would be to share problems and take long walks at lunch! — Lauren McKellar, PETS magazine
Maggie and her Three “Guard” Dogs Having dogs around doubles as having your very own security team, something Maggie Marriott found out as her pups even make sure the postie is on his toes! Her three dogs, Tosca, Millie and Pup make sure they yap when the sheep truck comes to the corner and the sheep dog always barks gaily back. The group have an important lesson for business owners: trust your instinct and be open in communication. — Maggie Marriott, Buoyage Systems Australia Pty Ltd
Cecilia Timm & Mr Brown (dog) Good day! My name is Leroy Brown, a 12-year-old caramel coloured toy poodle. My owner Cecilia Timm works from home for Mygivee, an ‘online wishlist’ company. Cecilia sometimes works too hard and at the end of the day when she is still working on the couch I like to give her subtle hints that it’s family time by edging my way across her lap (and her keyboard). — Cecilia Timm, Mygivee
Annie Whitlocke and Karma, her rescue greyhound Annie Whitlocke is Managing Director of Anjian Australia, an international gift business based in Melbourne that uses inspiration from eastern philosophy to design products. Fittingly, her greyhound is called Karma a free loving pooch that can’t get enough of fruit salad and even has her own yoga move called the ‘cockroach’. Karma can’t understand why humans are so busy and her very own philosophy is to communicate via happiness – it’s as easy as a simple meet and greet! — Annie Whitlocke, Anijian Australia
Laura Fisher’s Furry Feline Charlie Meowww, I’m Charlie, Laura’s furry office colleague who is Business Manager at Step2 Education. I’m 10 months old and she will tell you that I can be both a terror and a delight to be around. Coming from a cat shelter I know what it’s like to feel lonely so with Laura working alone, as is the nature of virtual businesses where employees are spread out across Australia, I give her someone to talk to. I get up to mischief sometimes, but I’m a reminder that we shouldn’t get too caught up in routine! — Laura Fisher, Step2 Education
Kate O’Reilly and her sidekicks Bear and Darcy Hello! I’m Bear (female, 9 years-old). Together, my sidekick Darcy (male, 8.5 years-old) and I look after Kate O’Reilly who is the real superhero around here who is always busy, whether it was when she was Treasurer of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Australia, working at Deloitte or now as the head of Optimiss Consulting. While working with Kate we have learned that to be a superhero, it is important you use your natural weapons. — Kate O’Reilly, Optimiss Consulting
