In February, the district of Börde launched a pilot project in which employees are given the opportunity to bring their dog to work. There is already great interest: Nine applications have been submitted, six of which have already been approved. Now masters, mistresses, four-legged friends and citizens have the opportunity to test for a year whether public authorities and dogs are a good match.
The "Office Dog" project aims to improve the work-life balance and at the same time promote the working atmosphere. Research shows that the presence of dogs in the workplace can reduce stress and increase employee satisfaction. Animals, especially dogs, can have a calming effect on people, which leads to a more pleasant and productive working atmosphere. "With this pilot project, we want to offer our employees a new opportunity to integrate their four-legged friends into their everyday working lives. We believe that this not only promotes the well-being of dog owners, but can also have a positive impact on the entire working day," says District Administrator Martin Stichnoth.
One positive example from the project is Loki, a four-year-old dachshund who has been accompanying his owner, Anke Wittekopf, to the office two to three days a week for three weeks now. Loki has proved to be an excellent office dog - calm, well-behaved and very adaptable. According to Anke Wittekopf, her dog contributes to a calm and positive atmosphere in the office, which not only has an effect on her, but also on her colleagues. "He's a real team player and has immediately enriched the office atmosphere," says Anke Wittekopf. Loki literally puts a smile on people's faces. His appearance usually gets people talking. He simply has a positive effect on those around him. That makes life together easier.
The pilot project stipulates that dog owners must fulfil certain conditions in order to bring their dog into the office: The dog must be well behaved, able to behave calmly and must not disturb during regular office hours. Liability insurance is also mandatory and the office space will have an additional sign to indicate the presence of dogs. The aim is for the dog to be a pleasant companion at work without disrupting the flow of work.
The positive effect of office dogs goes far beyond the individual well-being of the dog owners. Studies show that dogs can reduce stress, increase a sense of responsibility and even promote teamwork. With this pilot project, the district of Börde not only wants to make the dog owners happy, but also enrich the entire working day for all employees.
Information about Loki - the cadaver search dog of the Börde district:
Loki has been the trained cadaver search dog of the Börde district since 2023. In the event of an outbreak of African swine fever, Loki can quickly track down suspected carcasses. Infected animals can thus be safely isolated and professionally disposed of without providing a source for spreading the disease, for example through scavengers. To this end, the dachshund was trained at the Saxony-Anhalt Police Department's service dog handler school in Pretzsch.