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Dog-Friendliest Workplaces In San Francisco

According to recent studies at Virginia Commonwealth and Central Michigan Universities, there may be more benefits to bringing a dog to work than merely making its owner happy. While of course there is a flip side, and some people prefer their offices canine free, a number of dog-friendly San Francisco companies favor a positive view of dogs in the workplace. Some businesses have set rules to keep workers healthy and safe, while others take a more idealistic approach and simply request good behavior.
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credit: Melanie Graysmith

San Francisco SPCA
01 Alabama Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 554-3000
www.sfspca.org

As expected, San Francisco SPCA employees are allowed to bring their dogs, or other companion animals, to work as long as they have met certain criteria. For example, dogs must be spayed or neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations and registered with the company's Human Resources department, in addition to several other factors. It is considered a rare sight to attend a meeting here without at least one dog curled up under the conference table. This pet-centered organization offers pet-oriented benefits to the max. Some examples are discounts on pet healthcare, pet supplies, pet adoptions, pet bereavement leave and its pets-at-work program.

Google San Francisco
345 Spear St., Floors 2-4
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 736-0000
www.google.com

Everyone knows Google, but its friendly-to-dogs culture may not be as well known. While dogs are embraced at Google workplaces, the company does have a "Dog Policy" that covers all the ins-and-outs of dogs at work. Some excerpts from the policy: all dogs must be supervised and cannot be left in Google facilities overnight, "employees with allergic reactions to dogs may ask the owner to refrain from bringing the dog to the workplace," "pets with evidence of fleas will be asked to go home" and owners are responsible for cleaning up after pets at all times. If a pet has more than one indoor "accident," they will be asked to go home. So, while Google allows dogs to come to work, their behavior is tightly controlled.

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VehicleSF
275 6th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 777-5560
www.vehiclesf.com

This design-centric creative agency takes a fresh and insightful approach to the dogs that come to work each day with employee-owners. VehicleSF has no official dog policy, but creates a comfortable, cozy space with an open kitchen and a couple of lounge areas for a dog to hang out all day if she likes. This sense of comfort works naturally with the company's missions. Vehicle SF has extensive work capabilities that fit well with attracting consumers through its eye-catching visuals. The firm is also known for its strong branding content, resulting in lasting impressions that become eternal cult classics.

Related: Best Dog Parks On The Peninsula

Le Video
1231 9th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 566-3606
www.levideo.com

Le Video is such a welcoming shop, and not only for the neighborhood where it has been a well-loved fixture for over 30 years, but for all of San Francisco and even the state, as Le Video has the largest movie rental selection in California. With this in mind, it is no surprise that Le Video welcomes well-behaved dogs too. The business has no formal dog rules, but expects dogs to be people and dog friendly, and be able to stay behind the counter. So far there have not been any problems with dogs here.

Zynga, Inc.
699 8th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 703-0130
www.zynga.com

Zynga, the world leader in social gaming, is pretty forward thinking when it comes to its workers bringing dogs to work. According to The Life At Zynga webpage, "Every day is bring your dog to work day. That's some serious woof!" as they say. The company has always been pet-friendly, and even the company logo is a pit bull as Zinga was the name of a dog originally owned by Mark Pincus, one of the company founders.

Related: Best Hikes With Your Dog In The South Bay

Melanie Graysmith is a freelance writer and artist based in San Francisco. She writes on adult education, art and lifestyle topics, and enjoys writing short stories and poetry. Melanie is a member of an independent filmmaking group and aims to spin her stories into film. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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