Today is Pet Owners Independence Day, a day when pet owners have their pets come in to work for them. Though it seems like a tempting proposition to send our pets to work and lounge around the house napping all day, we didn't celebrate here at Lifetime. We were all hard at work, letting Fluffy, Stan, and Max enjoy their naps.
It's interesting to think what would have happened if some of us at Lifetime had celebrated....
If Jay, our Research and Design Engineer, sent his 30-year-old cat Bubba, he would plop himself on his computer chair and stay curled up there all day. If another engineer came in to ask about one of the tests that bring our Tables and Chairs up to BIFMA standards, Bubba would simply open his mouth, as if to meow. Then he'd turn around to ignore them.
My cat Skyler might enjoy being the Interactive Media Manager, though first he'd hide under my desk until he knew it was safe. Eventually he'd proceed to paw through my office in search of something to play with. He'd delight the finding a bin of paperclips, spreading them all over, and pouncing on each one.... typing out an interesting blog post in the process. If someone stopped to ask him a question, he'd probably start meowing loudly and follow them out of the room thinking they had food.
If our Graphic Artist's beagle Boozer filled in for Lindsey, he'd probably sniff out the entire office until he found the engineering area. He'd scare Bubba off his chair then chase him in and out of our powder coating facility, coming back to the office when he missed his bone. If someone asked him what he thinks of a design concept, or to re-design this blog, he'd probably sniff the paper in their hand for about three minutes before he carried it away in his mouth go bury it.
Susan's dog Pequeno would have a difficult time placing orders for retail store POP materials, as his primary language is Spanish. We'd have to bring in our team of Spanish translators to help him fill his new role as a Display Coordinator. But when Graphic Artist Omar yelled "Marchese el gato!" to Skyler, as he followed him down the hall in search of food, Pequeno would ditch the phone in no time. Once he lost interest chasing the cat, he'd probably join Boozer and start sniffing around for food.
So you see, without our great team at Lifetime (not to mention the slew of animals taking over their jobs) we'd have a tough time making and supporting our products, which would mean a tough time for all our retailers and customers. Not to mention we'd have a tough time answering your customer service issues through your parrot. So, thank you, and thanks to all our employees for not celebrating Pet Owners Independence Day!