Owner Worried About Taking Puppy to the Office—Not Prepared for How It Ends

Newsweek

a day ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A woman preparing to bring her puppy into her dog-friendly work office was nervous about how he would act—only to quickly realize she had nothing to worry about.
Grace, 24, lives in Manchester in the United Kingdom, and in January, she and her partner adopted a French bulldog-Shih Tzu mix puppy from a local rescue, who they named Arnold.
"We knew we wanted a dog eventually, especially since our office is dog-friendly and we both work at the same company," Grace explained to Newsweek.
But as many dog owners will agree, the puppy stage can be chaotic, with even the best-behaved young dog, and Grace and her partner weren't going to rush Arnold into the office.
"We waited about a month before bringing him in for the first time, and I was so nervous," she admitted. "I thought he might be too excited, bark, or have an accident. We brought a whole bag of stuff, his bed, toys, puzzles, lick mats."
But it turned out they had nothing to worry about, as Arnold "surprised us by settling in straight away."
"Initially we put him on the desk so we could keep an eye on him and he was so tiny he fit perfectly. He napped on our desk, barely made a sound, and soaked up all the attention," she said, adding he "loves people so much."
Arnold the puppy at home, and, right, standing on a desk in the office.
Arnold the puppy at home, and, right, standing on a desk in the office.
TikTok @toast.vinny.arnold
On May 3, Grace shared a video to her TikTok account @toast.vinny.arnold showing just what Arnold's days in the office looked like, after she was "worried" about how he would "behave."
The photo montage showed the pup splayed out on the desk having a nap in multiple different positions, looking as relaxed as anything beside the staff working beside him.
He then moves to take a nap on an office chair, and another in his dedicated dog bed, covered with his toys, before moving back onto the desk to sleep surrounded by staff members.
The final snap shows Arnold standing on a desk, appearing to keep a close eye on everything going on around him, as Grace wrote over the photo: "He's better in the office than at home!"
Grace told Newsweek they work in the office three days a week, with Arnold joining them for two days and going to daycare for the third day, to help him get socialized with other dogs.
When in the office, Arnold "just sleeps all day, so it's easy to work with him around," she said.
Puppies generally sleep from between 18 to 20 hours a day when they are young. This helps the growth and development of their brain, immune system and muscles, as well as allowing them to rest as they experience growth spurts, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Arnold taking naps across different desks in the office.
Arnold taking naps across different desks in the office.
TikTok @toast.vinny.arnold
Grace said: "He's got favourite people too, especially our office's housekeeper/cleaner. If she walks by without saying hi, he gets very upset.
"We always say he's the perfect dog as he's super chilled and unbothered by pretty much everything. People adore him. He's become a bit of a comfort dog, if anyone's having a rough day, a cuddle with Arnold helps."
TikTok users were obsessed with Arnold the office dog, with Grace's TikTok video racking up more than 338,000 views and 60,000 likes, as one commenter joked: "Pooch sleeps on conference table during important meeting = cute. I do it = fired!"
Another asked: "Is your office hiring? I've no idea what you do but I want a job immediately," as one described Arnold as "employee of the month."
And another insisted: "He needs a little tie and collar or something! Gotta get dressed for work!"
There are some downsides to bringing Arnold to the office however, as Grace admitted: "It takes forever to get to our desks, because everyone wants to stop and give him a cuddle!
"But having him with us is the best. He's great for our mental health and makes the workday so much more fun."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [e-mail] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.