Stanley's ruff day out

Friday 21 June 2019

On 'Take Your Dog to Work Day' we caught up with young Stanley, who was treated to a day at the coal-face with his owner, which turned into an exhausting day of paper work which many humans may understand.

In his own words, Stanley put paw to paper for us:

06:00

Light shines through the curtains. It’s time I was up and making myself useful. I stretch, give my tail a practice wag, and go into Master’s room. She does not normally wake up as well as me. Each morning I must bark repeatedly to let her know the morning is here. She doesn’t always thank me, but today she is pleased to see me sniffing at the bedspread.

07:00

Morning constitutional. I mark my territory throughout the lanes near Home. Master jogs beside me. “Turning over a new leaf”, she says. I’ll run till I drop so it’s fine by me. We meet several dogs along the way: a middle-aged Jack Russel, an enormous Samoyed of 3 (the song ‘girls just want to have fun’ comes to mind) and a Border Collie who won’t even give me the time of day. One thing is for sure: we’re all giddy with the fresh scents of dawn, which have not yet dispersed. 

09:00

This is momentous. I have seen The Other Place.

Master has often spoken of ‘work’ but now I know where she goes every day. She is very important, with her own place to sit. She hammers rapidly at a Plastic Thing that makes language and pictures appear on a sort of mirror-window. She drinks from steaming cups. Discussing business, I think. 

I am greeted like a hero by a procession of people who chat with Master while petting me. I hope it never ends. My tail begins to ache from wagging. I can’t pant quickly enough, all the while having praise heaped on me from above.

12:00

I’m roused from a brief two-hour nap. It’s cosy curled up by Master’s feet. We move down into another area, noisy and crowded where Master eats with other people. They need me to witness the food so I sit by guarding it. I get praise for my attentiveness and a piece of cheese comes my way. HEAVEN.

14:00

I have made an unsettling discovery: The Noisy Machine.

It chews relentlessly. Criss-crossing blades whir into action, destroying paper – rendering it in neat strips. I bark to let my captors know about my discovery, yet they continue to feed The Noisy Machine until bags full of wrecked paper must be unloaded from its guts.

15:00

A great sense of shame. Master is unimpressed. She left me with some paper, which I duly tore into small pieces. I thought this was the main business here (certainly The Noisy Machine is lauded for tearing paper). I was wrong, but I’m given something else to chew on instead. Ace.

18:00

What a day!

Master took me around the park after we left The Other Place. Such a delightfully stinky place, with so many things to sniff at. I could stay for hours but we leave abruptly after Master catches me rolling in some particularly smelly grass. 

Home now. I think I’ll get an early night. Today was too much excitement for me.

Take Your Dog to Work Day was created by Pet Sitters International in 1999, to encourage businesses to allow dogs in the workplace 'to celebrate the great companions dogs make and promote their adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups and humane societies'.

Stanley is a rescue dog who resides in St Martin's with his two pet humans. He rarely leaves their side and is of a nervous disposition so please be careful if you see him out on one of his many walks.