Surprisingly for a nation of pet owners, the UK lags well behind the world leaders in this field, the US. Organisations in the UK that are pet-friendly tend to be limited to the likes of pet product manufacturers and animal welfare charities, plus some small businesses. But a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association has found that nearly one in five US companies allows pets in the workplace.

In the US, pet-friendly companies cite lots of advantages in allowing pets in the workplace. Some people see this as a major perk, with American job website simplyhired.com even giving candidates the ability to filter employers down to whether or not they are dog-friendly. A survey from animal charity The Blue Cross found that 90% of organisations that allow dogs in the workplace have noticed a positive impact on staff morale. In addition, the therapeutic benefits of having a dog or a cat around or having an aquarium in the office are well-known.

There are drawbacks, of course. There should be guidelines on the behaviour expected, so no sleeping on the photocopier and absolutely no fur balls left on the carpet! Not everyone is a dog or cat lover and of course there are allergies to think about as well. And the mayhem that could ensue if dogs and cats are mixed doesn’t even bear thinking about.

Some American companies have taken things a step too far, though. In April, a python escaped from his cage in Google’s pet-friendly New York offices (see the Google Blog for more). But there was a happy ending: after calling in a reptile expert, the escapee was found sleeping behind a filing cabinet.

See Pet-friendly offices take the lead by letting the dogs in (on the Financial Times website) and Pet projects (on the Guardian Unlimited website) for more. The Take Your Dog To Work Day website has useful guidelines (PDF format, 286K) for employers that are thinking about becoming pet-friendly.