Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day, which is a good excuse for me to fawn over my mutt for a bit. Naturally, I brought Mister President with me to Behavior to celebrate the event; it᾿s a two-mile hike from my apartment to the office, and I enjoy it a lot, though I’m not so sure he does. Actually, he comes to work with me fairly often, and by now he knows it’s his job to just sit still and not bother anyone, so he’s no longer so eager to head out the door with me on weekday mornings. I like having him here with me, though to be honest, it’s sometimes difficult to juggle clients, manage a business and a keep an eye out for a dog’s natural and immutable propensity for digging up trouble.

Still, having my dog at the office is one of the perks of being a co-owner of a business. When I was twenty-one I wanted to have my own design studio and walk to work every day with my dog, and that’s pretty much the life I have now. It helps too, that Mister President happens to be the best dog ever. He was a cast aside mutt (some combination of labrador, pitt bull and something terrified of water), shivering on the concrete floor of the Newark Humane Society when we first saw him, but I don’t know how anyone could ever give this guy up. He’s a remarkable companion. If you’re considering bringing a dog into your life — and your office — I couldn’t more highly recommend adopting a mutt from your local shelter — those are the only kinds of dogs I’ll ever bring home.