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Updated: June 24, 2024
A Look Back
A Look Back: The ‘dog days’ of an early edition of Mainebiz
Today, it wouldn’t seem unusual in a workplace of remote work, Zoom calls and pandemic puppies in the office to hear a dog barking during an important conference or meeting.
Yet, as we look back on the early days of Mainebiz, we see that the publication devoted an entire issue to dogs on June 11, 2001.
It was billed as “a celebration of canines in the workplace.” The cover had a man dressed in a business suit and tie with a dog’s head photoshopped in.
There was a special feature on “Maine’s booming dog-products industry.” There was a profile of G.G. Bean Inc., whose products include Skunk Kleen, which rids your dogs of the dreaded skunk smell.
Another story urged dog-owners to take part in Take Your Dog to Work Day on June 22 of that year.
A lawyer penned a guest column, “Working like a dog: the legal ramifications of bringing your pooch to the office, the tattoo parlor or the museum.”
She said while some employers poo-poo the idea of bringing a dog to work, often it’s the landlord that can be “the spoilers in an otherwise pro-PITWP atmosphere,” seemingly coining an acronym for “pets in the workplace.”
A feature story indicated that workplaces with dogs offered higher productivity and happier, healthier employees.
And that’s not to say how the dog benefits.
“Staff will go out and take walks with Morgan at lunch,” one employee said of her dog’s social life at work. “My dog is hardly my dog anymore — he’s busy, he’s outside with people. It’s great for staff morale.”
Fun fact
The June 11, 2001, issue of Mainebiz featured a list of the top Maine colleges and universities. Interestingly, the tuition for Colby, Bates and Bowdoin ranged from $25,890 to $32,750. Today, those figures are closer to $60,000 — plus room and board.
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