Trade Talk: Would you give up vacation days or other perks if you could bring your pooch to work?

The dog days of summer will take on new meaning Friday, when many workplaces across the nation and state will celebrate the 20th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day.

According to Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based Wellness Natural Pet Food, 20 percent of employees work in offices that will mark the furry workplace holiday. Meanwhile, 8 percent of employers allow workers to bring their pets to work every day, per the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, Virginia.

“Dogs are a big part of our lives,” said Heather Paul, co-owner of A Good Egg Dining Group, which permits employees at its corporate office at 2500 N Walker to bring their dogs to work whenever they like.

“We love to have them on our patios at our restaurants, and when we began our corporate office, it was a no-brainer that we would have a pet-friendly office,” Paul said.

Good Egg restaurants include Cheever's Cafe, Iron Star Urban Barbeque, Red PrimeSteak, Republic Gastropub, Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes, The Drake, Kitchen No. 324 and Tucker's Onion Burgers, which Paul and her husband, Keith, named after their three-legged mastiff Tucker, who died a few years ago.

Meanwhile, five employees of Spaces Inc. corporate furnishings/interior design group in northeast Edmond bring their dogs to work daily.

“It helps keep things light at the office, and 99 percent of our customers love them,” said principal Alison Hafar, who's brought Bogey, her 11-year-old cocker spaniel, to work since he was a puppy.

“Everyone always says ‘I wish we could have dogs at our office,' ” Hafar said.

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Take Your Dog to Work Day was started in 1999 in King, North Carolina, by Pet Sitters International professional educational association. The unique holiday, which is celebrated the Friday following Father's Day, encourages U.S. workers to adopt pets from animal shelters and employers nationwide to establish canine-friendly workplaces.

President Patti J. Moran said Pet Sitters International “has encouraged employers across the United States — and around the globe — to open their doors to employees' dogs for one fun summer Friday and often to raise money for local pet-rescue organizations and animal shelters.”

There's even an official Take Your Dog to Work Day song. Its refrain goes like this:

You gotta take your dog to work You gotta take your dog to work Every dog has its day and bones don't grow on trees. I'll guard your desk. I'll be your clerk. Just take your dog to work.

According to the Wellness Natural Pet Food survey, many Americans would sacrifice benefits to bring their dogs to work.

Of 1,000 U.S. pet owners polled online by ORC International, 44 percent (51 percent of millennials and 49 percent of Generation X workers) would consider career moves for pet-friendly workplaces; 13 percent would give up vacation time; 7 percent would forgo the ability to work from home; and 6 percent would take pay cuts.

Thirty-two percent of respondents feel they'd be more productive with a pet at the office.

“Allowing pets in the office offers employees a fun way to bring their full attention to work while giving our furry friends companionship they might not otherwise have during the workday,” staff veterinarian Danielle Bernal said.

America's pet-friendliest companies, per Wellness Natural Pet Food, include Austin-based Tito's Handmade Vodka, which took in abandoned animals that wandered around its distillery; San Francisco-based Petcube, which offers employees perks like dog walking, pet sitting, pet insurance and on-demand vet consultations; Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Bissell Homecare, which sets aside pet-specific areas with dog treats, dog bowls and walking paths; Mill Valley, California-based Glassdoor, which helps jobseekers find pet-friendly workplaces; and Lenox, Massachusetts-based Zogics health and fitness company, which gives an extra week of paid time off to employees when they become new pet parents.

Despite the benefits of dogs in the workplace, legal issues can arise.

Aside from food preparation and health care settings, there are not many restrictions on the presence of animals, said Nathan Whatley, a labor and employment attorney with McAfee and Taft law firm in Oklahoma City. But if a co-worker suffers from severe allergies to dogs, problems can arise on a case-by-case basis under the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. To help avoid issues, some employers ban dogs from restrooms, cafeterias, break rooms and meeting rooms, Whatley said.