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Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

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Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#31

Post by ghers »

Normal_gaussian wrote: post #11
pcunite wrote: post #8

Pet owners always say, "Oh, he won't hurt anyone. Isn't he cute? Down fido! Down boy! He's just excited. Can I get you something to drink?" The trouble is that animals act differently when the owner is not around. If possible, spray apple juice on your clothing before you leave for work that day. The animal will bite you, but you won't see it again after that.

This is horrible and immoral advice. Disagreeing, complaining, and litigating are one thing. Deliberately falsifying a situation is quite another. This is of course leaving aside the fact that the course of action you suggest could easily lead to a life being taken. It is impossible for me to courteously describe how appalled I am at your advice.

How is a dog biting him falsification? Claiming that the dog bit him when it did not would be false, but if the dog bites him, the dog bit him.

Unless the dog is huge, it's unlikely he'll die.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#32

Post by outworlder »

hartator wrote: post #24
j28xfc5qsc wrote: post #21

If you don't want to work around dogs, your employer should accommodate that. But it's also worth considering that it sounds like you have a phobia, and phobias are a curable condition. It would help you going forward if you weren't afraid of dogs. If getting bitten by a dog in the workplace was a significant risk, your employer's insurance would not allow them to put dogs in the workplace. A psychologist could help…

It can be that the person doesn't like dogs because it's kind of gross. Smell your hand after petting one. I like dogs though.

I used to think that too. Until I got my own.

While there are breed variations and some seem to have a skin that's oilier than most, actual bad smell is a sign that something is wrong. As in humans, it is usually due to poor hygiene, with poor oral health being the biggest culprit (dogs use the mouth to scratch, remove things from fur, lick themselves, etc).

Skin conditions are rather common, some can smell really bad. Even if it is something as benign as whatever the dog acne equivalent is.

Localized smell usually means the dog found something interesting, to his sense of smell, and rubbed itself on it.

Of course, some owners are just too lazy to bathe their dogs, even once a month.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#33

Post by hubert123 »

there is nothing wrong with being afraid of strange dogs, just dont pet them or interact with them, turn away from them if they approach you. make clear that you dont want to interact with them on ur workplace, ppl will understand. yeah u will look like a partypooper. whatever

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#34

Post by chris_7 »

fletchowns wrote: post #26
hartator wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can be that the person doesn't like dogs because it's kind of gross. Smell your hand after petting one. I like dogs though.

You have a very low threshold for what is considered gross. That's just the tip of the iceberg with pets! (and babies)

Neither of those noisy (distracting) things belong in an office, though. Offices are a place for focus.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#35

Post by TillE »

throwawaydog wrote: post #13
pcunite wrote: post #8

Pet owners always say, "Oh, he won't hurt anyone. Isn't he cute? Down fido! Down boy! He's just excited. Can I get you something to drink?" The trouble is that animals act differently when the owner is not around. If possible, spray apple juice on your clothing before you leave for work that day. The animal will bite you, but you won't see it again after that.

This seems like pretty bad advice, considering my issue with dogs is feeling like I'm going to get bitten. Why would I bring that on myself on purpose.

Aggressive dogs are incredibly rare, especially if you're just ignoring them and not trying to interact.

Here's what my city looks like: http://dogswaitinginberlin.tumblr.com/

Unleashed dogs everywhere. Never heard of it being a problem.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#36

Post by beachstartup »

j28xfc5qsc wrote: post #21

If you don't want to work around dogs, your employer should accommodate that. But it's also worth considering that it sounds like you have a phobia, and phobias are a curable condition. It would help you going forward if you weren't afraid of dogs. If getting bitten by a dog in the workplace was a significant risk, your employer's insurance would not allow them to put dogs in the workplace. A psychologist could help…

i like all sorts of dogs, i have a rescue dog, i'm a dog person. big, small, pure, mutt, rescue, whatever. i love them all.

but there's absolutely no way i would suggest, or insinuate, that someone with a fear of dogs (phobia or otherwise), get "help", or even have to worry about the remote possibility of dealing with dogs in any office environment that doesn't have "veterinarian" in the description.

it's just straight up ridiculous. i'm highly allergic to cats, even though i like them in general. if i had to deal with cats in an office i'd quit on the spot and probably not quietly.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#38

Post by chris_7 »

anexprogrammer wrote: post #30
throwawaydog wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, sounds like just bringing it up would be fine (and hopefully doesn't end up labling me a dog hater!). The whole pets policy seems crazy to me, what's to stop me bringing my SO to work because I enjoy her company. Do you think it's just convenient for the owner, or is there something behind letting people bring pets to work?

Having worked two places where this was possible, there's a number of advantages. Everyone in the office became a fan of the mutt, and I had lots of volunteers for lunchtime walks! Including the lady who was wary of German Shepherds at the start, who ended up curing her phobia "Oh it's only him, he's harmless". He'd sleep near the desk until someone came over to talk to him, and as a result I wasn't clock watching qu…

I work in an office with a dog. I detest it, the dog distracts me constantly with barking and such. I genuinely believe that the dog has a negative financial effect on the company - I'd be much more productive without it, and productivity is $$$. However, I would never say anything, as this could lead to me being ostracized as a non-"team-player".

Something to keep in mind when all feedback on an element workplace environment is positive.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#39

Post by outworlder »

j28xfc5qsc wrote: post #21

If you don't want to work around dogs, your employer should accommodate that. But it's also worth considering that it sounds like you have a phobia, and phobias are a curable condition. It would help you going forward if you weren't afraid of dogs. If getting bitten by a dog in the workplace was a significant risk, your employer's insurance would not allow them to put dogs in the workplace. A psychologist could help…

For me, the biggest cure to (admittedly, mild) phobia was my significant other getting a dog (miniature schnauzer-like).

In my case, I big component of my fear was due to just not understanding their behavior. After living with one for almost 3 years, I've basically lost whatever fear I had. I was fine(ish!) around small dogs, but got really scared of big ones. Now I just don't care what breed or size it is, I can just read their body language.

Re: Ask HN: Office merge. They have a pet policy. I'm scared of dogs. What can I do?

#40

Post by qntty »

I like dogs but I wouldn't want to work in an office with dogs running around. I would definitely ask for a dog free zone (at the very least) if it were me. You're definitely not wrong to be weirded out by it. Working outside on a farm with dogs is one thing, but offices are no place for animals that might have energy to burn by running around (imo).

That being said, definitely consider meeting some nice dogs to convince yourself that they're not so scary. If you're feeling ambitious, go to a dog park and ask people if it's okay to pet their dog. Hold out the back of your hand to let it sniff you before you pet it, and move toward it slowly to gauge it's level of comfort. These little fears are worth taking the time to overcome.

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