This week, the Internet was ablaze with the news that Nina Hale, a marketing company based in Minneapolis, recently tweaked its benefits policies to include "fur-ternity leave"—the ability to work from home for a week in order to welcome a new puppy or kitten.
"For a lot of people, their pets are their children," Allison McMenimen, the Vice President of the company, told The New York Times.
Anyone who's ever adopted a young puppy will be insanely jealous of Nina Hale's employees, because he or she knows all too well how much care and attention newborn pups need. (In the first few weeks of puppy training, all you have to do is take your attention from them for a moment and they've eaten your entire collection of Shakespeare's annotated works.) But believe it or not, Nina Hale isn't the first company to roll out this new perk. Here we've compiled all of the companies that offer "fur-ternity" or "paw-ternity" leave—so scroll on, and if your pup is expecting some time soon, consider updating your résumé! And for more feel-good dog stories, check out the 40 Dogs So Ugly They're Actually Cute.
1 | Mars PetCare
This McClean, Virginia-based company consists of over 50 brands of pet food, including household names like Royal Canin, Whiskas, and Iams. They were one of the first companies to offer "pawternity leave," which consists of 10 hours of paid leave, after which you can bring your furbaby into the office. For more cute photos like the one above, check out 50 Corgi Facts That Will Make You Want a Corgi.
2 | Mparticle
This New York software company offers a full two weeks of paid leave to employees who adopt a rescue dog.
3 | Musti Group
ShutterstockMusti Group, a pet food company based in Norway, Sweden and Finland offers 3-day parental leaves for new pet owners.
"Pawternity leave is a natural step in developing our culture," Musti Group CEO David Rönnberg told Mercury News. "Adopting a pet is a significant decision and changes everyday life considerably. We want to support our employees during their first days with their new family member and ensure that they can enjoy those precious moments to the fullest."
The company also believes the policy will help employees maintain a good work-life balance and boost their well-being and productivity, and they're right. For more on this, check out 15 Amazing Benefits of Adopting a Pet.
4 | BitSol Solutions
BitSol Solutions, a tech support company in Manchester, UK, offers one full week of paid leave when employees adopt a new pet.
"Pets are like babies nowadays," Greg Buchanan, the company's founder, told Metro UK. ‘So why shouldn't staff have some time off when they arrive?'
5 | Brewdog
The Scottish brewery gives employees a week off to care for their new furbabies.
"Yes, having dogs in our offices makes everyone else more chilled and relaxed – but we know only too well that having a new arrival – whether a mewling pup or unsettled rescue dog – can be stressful for human and hound both. So we are becoming the first in our industry to give our staff a working week's leave on us to help settle a new furry family member into their home," the company website reads.
6 | Harper Collins India
The publishing giant appears to be the first company in India to offer "pawternity leave," granting five days of paid leave to spend on your new pet. Unfortunately, it seems like they haven't adopted the policy stateside yet, but dog-lovers believe the move will help motivate people to adopt dogs in India, where stray dogs are a particularly serious problem.
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