MAY 9, 2005

Emma

Next month my wife Deb and I will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the adoption of our King Charles Spaniel, Emma.  Beyond the usual benefits of adding a dog to the house, Emma has also brought surprising benefits to my work.

When we adopted Emma, I assumed she would stay at home like any normal dog - but she had other ideas.  We got her on a Saturday and on the following Monday I went to work and left her home.  At lunch I went home to check on her and, of course, she was panicky at being left alone.  So I took her to the office for the afternoon.  This exercise repeated itself on Tuesday. And on Wednesday morning, when I reached for my briefcase, she went for her leash.  At that moment she became a working dog.

I realize this is not something anyone can do.  As the owner of my own business, however, it is a privilege I greatly value.  Emma’s presence in the office is a joy for me and a benefit to my firm.

Her single greatest contribution is that she drains tension from the office.  It’s just not possible to stay upset for long in the presence of 16 lbs. of fur and affection.  In addition, she is a great ice breaker with clients and other guests.  From my experience, most of our visitors have pets and they love to talk about them.  Finally, and most important of all, Emma has opened my eyes to the pet culture in our society.  She is the inspiration, in fact, for the newpersuasion category of passions and pastimes.

If you want to gain further insight into the impact Emma and her canine colleagues are having on our society, check out the performance of PetSmart stock over the last 10 years ( up 121%).  Or take a look at Alexandria Pet Inn Resort & Spa.

When it comes to pets and passions, I’m not alone.