Competition shows how faithful friends have kept spirits up whilst working from home

As part of Bring your Dog to Work Day, Harron Homes called on people to send in images of their faithful friends as they adapt to working from, studying from or generally being more at home during the pandemic.

The competition, run on the company’s social media channels, resulted in Harron making a donation of £100 to the charity All Dogs Matter.

The winners of the competition, who have secured gift vouchers for ethical dog products company HOWND, were Milo, Elvis and Serge, and The British Gift Company’s mascot, Toby.

Throughout the pandemic pets have become a key feature of daily life and have been cited by many as a great support, benefiting both our physical and mental health.

Sales Manager Helen Robinson, whose pet Schichon, Missy, has been at her side throughout lockdown said: “Missy has loved having all the family with her all day every day, and definitely benefited from a lot more fuss, love and walks. The children have also taken her to the local park much more regularly than before lockdown.

“I haven’t found Missy to be distracting at all, she’s very happy to sit peacefully by my desk in my study. She has been a comfort to all of us, including my colleagues as she regularly comes on our video conferencing meetings to say ‘Hello’ to the team and they all love her!

“It has been amazing how everyone has adapted to working from home and become so much more comfortable using technology and communicating in different ways. We are used to meeting remotely now and these good habits we have adapted will stand us in good stead for the future. I can see this continuing in some form even after the lockdown, benefitting both our colleagues and pets.”

Jo Amit, event organiser, said: "Bring Your Dog to Work Day is about celebrating the relationship we have with all animals – domestic and wild – and raising funds for animal welfare organisations that need our support more than ever this year. Dogs have really stepped up during lockdown, bringing joy and comfort to those who need it most. And they’ve made sure we’ve all done our 10k daily steps this year."

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