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| Dawn Lauer/ The HSUS |
| Dawn and Sara relaxing at home. |
By Dawn Lauer
When The HSUS enacted a dog-friendly policy in January 2007 the lives of many employees and their companion animals greatly improved. The nature of our work here at The HSUS demands that we see and hear about some of the most abhorrent acts of cruelty done to animals all over the world.
Compassion fatigue is a very real issue in this field, and staying motivated can be a challenge on some days. Having your dog by your side or seeing a co-worker's dog just down the hall can turn things around, though. Their presence serves as a constant inspiration to work toward a society where all animals are treated humanely and are loved as much as those who can now share our office space.
Lifting Spirits
The joy of having your best friend accompany you not only improves your morale, but that of everyone in the office as well. The ability to bring our dogs to the office enables so many of us to fully concentrate on our work, as we can be comforted in knowing that our companions are safe and happy with us. On those occasions when alleviating the suffering of animals demands longer hours, with our dogs by our side, we are easily able to comply by putting our heart and soul into the cause at hand.
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| Dawn Lauer/ The HSUS |
| Sara at The HSUS office. |
Improving Lives
These are the obvious advantages of having dogs in the office, but for me, the benefits went far beyond that. On January 31, 2007, I adopted Sara, a 3-year-old, Australian Kelpie mix. Less than a month later, she was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma.
Shortly after learning of Sara's condition, I began bringing her to work with me every day. The ability to do so was a lifesaver for both of us. I was able to give her the medicine she needed in the middle of the day and take her out more frequently. And she thrived on the attention and love that she received on a daily basis from everyone here. Positive energy and happiness can do so much for someone (person or pet) who is ill, and we were so fortunate that Sara was surrounded by both here at The HSUS.
After putting up a courageous fight, Sara had to be euthanized on July 4. Her cancer had spread throughout her system, and her quality of life was deteriorating.
The few short months that Sara shared with all of us were made that much better for her due to the dog-friendly policy at The HSUS. My colleagues who saw her every day can confirm how happy she was here at work. For that, I am forever grateful.
Dawn Lauer is the outreach assistant for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.
Posted July 19, 2007.
