What would your work day look like if you brought your dog along to the office? Imagine your favorite ball of fur beside you as you meet with clients. Or make phone calls. Snuggled up beside you as you enter data on your computer.

A growing number of businesses are allowing employees to bring their dogs to work. A survey of pet owners says 3 percent of U.S. dog owners can bring their dogs to work with them—triple the number from five years ago, according to a story at abcnews.com.  Some say it boosts morale to have a pooch around. Others say having a dog at the office could reduce stress and boost employee satisfaction.

Employers like Google, Amazon, and even Congress are adopting dog-friendly policies. Not to mention a smaller office like the one where my sister works. She sent a photo of Buddy, the manager’s Golden Retriever, who likes people. Apparently long days at home alone without social contact make Buddy more prone to misbehaving!  He’s quite charming at the office though, according to my sister, although he tends to get a little bored at times.

As far as she and her co-workers go, my sister said Buddy’s a real cutie and they would love having him there every day (evidently, he’s just part-time now). On a break, she and Buddy played fetch down the hall a few times.  As for bringing her own dog, my sister thinks he would do fine as well. She could picture Pepper sleeping on the floor by her feet.  Awwww.

Of course, there would have to be a few rules. Keep them on their leash, no barking, and obviously, no getting into the break room treats! And then, it has to be outside for all that other stuff dogs need to do.

So what do you think? How well would your dog handle being at work beside you?