Pets at work
A huge congratulations goes to Sydney business Sitback Solutions, which won the Excellence in Business, Employer of Choice, and overall Regional Business of the Year category award in the 2016 Sydney City Regional Business Awards. One of the standout things about this company is that it lets employees bring their dogs to work — how cool is that?
“Having dogs in the workplace creates a nice, relaxed atmosphere for both our staff and clients. It increases co-operation and productivity, creates necessary employee breaks involving light exercise and offers a nice element for recruitment that many offices can’t provide,” says business founder, Paul Armstrong. Sitback Solutions is very dedicated to its pro-dog message, with each of the company’s 37 staff members allowed to place a doggy bed next to their desks if they would like to. We think every office and school should be like that!
Cats V Dogs
It’s an eternal question that’s inspired many vigorous debates from pet lovers everywhere: which makes a better pet — a cat or a dog? Thanks to researchers Katherine Jacobs Bao and George Schreer of the Department of Psychology at Manhattanville College in New York State, we now have some more conclusive evidence on the issue.
A recent survey conducted by the pair and published in Anthrozoös found that while there are more pet cats in America, there are more pet dog owners, with cat owners most likely to have multiple felines in the one household. But the real question, the one that we all want to know more about, is which makes a better pet — a cat or a dog?
In this same survey, researchers asked respondents about their overall satisfaction with life. While those who owned pets in general consistently rated higher when it came to life satisfaction, dog owners were found to overall give a higher score than cat owners, leading the researchers to believe that they are happier — and we can’t help but think our furry friends might be partially responsible.
Internet advice: what could go wrong?
In today’s day and age, it’s all too easy to jump online and search for some symptoms if your cat or dog appears to be ill. But just how much of a good idea is this?
“Although there is a huge quantity of data on the internet, it’s probably fair to say that much of it is either trivial or inaccurate,” Dr Laurie Milner, who spoke about this issue at the Australian Veterinary Association NSW Division Conference earlier this year, says.
“There are some specific topics that give rise to confusion including nutrition, vaccinations, the need for routine health checks, behaviour of dogs and cats, restraint methods, training methods, complementary medicine and the terminology used in veterinary science. There’s a lot of contradictory information on these topics, which often leaves pet owners more confused than before they started.”
Not only that, but some information out there can be just plain wrong, leading you to potentially treat your beloved pet for a problem he or she does not have. If you suspect your pet isn’t in the best state of health, visit your local veterinarian.
