Life

This Brewery Is Giving Puppy Parental Leave

by Kaitlyn Wylde
Daniel C Sims/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Over the last few years, progressive companies around the world have been seriously upping their work/life balance to keep their employees happy, healthy and committed to their companies. One soon-to-be-famous and enviable brewery is offering puppy parental leave to new dog moms and dads who need the time to adjust to their new addition. Yes, it's a real thing, it's not a hoax, and it's just as awesome as it sounds.

The company is called Brewdog and their name pretty much sums them up: they're a brewery that loves dogs. Situated in a modern open concept layout in the middle of Edinburgh, Scotland, Brewdog is more than dog-friendly. Currently with over 50 dogs that commute to the office with their owners daily, the company is taking their love for dogs and their owners a step further by offering maternity and paternity-type paid one week leaves for any and all of their employees who have recently become dog parents. Like, it's a real benefit in the employee handbook and it's every bit as true as it sounds.

Unlike most companies, Brewdog is empathetic to the struggles of a professionals who are also dog owners. Puppy training and adjustment is a complicated and time-consuming duty that's really important for the dog's development and the owner's relationship with the dog. So the fact that they offer that week of paid time off, means that they really get it. Here's a little (adorable) video the company made to help explain their new policy, also an excuse to look at cute dogs doin' stuff:

As a dog mom myself, I know how hard it is to balance work with pet care. Doggy day care is expensive, dog walkers are often not reliable or sufficient and most jobs don't permit dogs in the office. At the end of the day, the struggles of caring for a dog are worth it when that adorable stinky-faced creature licks your nose goodnight, but that doesn't make the every day grind of pet ownership less stressful. That said, I hope that other companies start to catch on to what Brewdog is up to. Because if companies want their employees to be happy and have a good work/life balance, they should consider that while being a puppy parent isn't exactly the same as being a human parent, it still involves a lot of responsibility, time commitment and consideration.

So here's to Brewdog, you're really flippin' awesome and make me want to move to Scotland so I can bring my dog to work and also pet other people's dogs all day and also maybe find an excuse to get another dog so that I can take full advantage of your puppy parent leave.