PennWell Dental Community
Take Your Dog To Work Day Every Day!
Scene: A typical dental office. Action: Patient lying back in the dental chair with napkin around his neck, as the dentist begins a procedure. Now here’s where the scene changes from usual — out from under the napkin pops the tiny, cute head of an adorable Yorkshire terrier! Even more unusual, the patient is not surprised. The dog lays back down in the patient’s lap, and the patient rubs the back of this adorable terrier all through the procedure.
Welcome to the dental practice of Dr. Ray Armstrong in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Take Your Day To Work Day —today, Friday, June 20 — is every day.
Dr. Armstrong and his practice were featured briefly (you know, one of those “you blink, and it’s over”) in a segment of NBC’s “Today” show this morning. We don’t know which Yorkshire terrier had the starring role this morning, but we do know that it was either Tika or Rylee, owned by Dr. Armstrong’s dental hygienist, Kaylyn Sievert. Also assisting the dental staff is Owen the poodle, rescued from a dog mill by dental assistant Andi DuPius.
The dogs greet the patients when they come in for their appointments, sit on their laps during treatment, and just generally put a smile on patients’ faces. Office manager Anita Cardoza was quoted in an article on June 18 in Colorado Springs’ The Gazette as saying, “Patients love it and look forward to seeing the dogs because their presence is very calming.”
As a dog lover myself, I couldn’t agree more! Now if I could just find a dentist in Tulsa who does this. Or, better still, I could volunteer my two adorable dogs, Andre the poodle and Bailey Bear the bichon, to be my own employer’s calming influence. I can dream, can’t I?
Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!
Welcome to the dental practice of Dr. Ray Armstrong in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Take Your Day To Work Day —today, Friday, June 20 — is every day.
Dr. Armstrong and his practice were featured briefly (you know, one of those “you blink, and it’s over”) in a segment of NBC’s “Today” show this morning. We don’t know which Yorkshire terrier had the starring role this morning, but we do know that it was either Tika or Rylee, owned by Dr. Armstrong’s dental hygienist, Kaylyn Sievert. Also assisting the dental staff is Owen the poodle, rescued from a dog mill by dental assistant Andi DuPius.
The dogs greet the patients when they come in for their appointments, sit on their laps during treatment, and just generally put a smile on patients’ faces. Office manager Anita Cardoza was quoted in an article on June 18 in Colorado Springs’ The Gazette as saying, “Patients love it and look forward to seeing the dogs because their presence is very calming.”
As a dog lover myself, I couldn’t agree more! Now if I could just find a dentist in Tulsa who does this. Or, better still, I could volunteer my two adorable dogs, Andre the poodle and Bailey Bear the bichon, to be my own employer’s calming influence. I can dream, can’t I?
Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lory Laughter on -
I've brought this up more than once. We even had an inspection and the dog passed. (something about not shedding)
Patients have been with this practice for generations. Honestly, they don't leave. It is odd, but true. They all seem to think Dr. Gittings is so amazing that anything he does is ok. Kind of scary.
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Permalink Reply by Meg Kaiser on -
I agree with Kirsten and Lory. Even though I'm a cat and dog lover, as a patient I'd feel a bit put out if I was greeted by one at the dentist's office. It would give me the feeling that the office was dirty, and yes, I wouldn't want hair floating into my mouth. Lory, I'm surprised that the dog passed inspection. Animal lovers can find other ways to share time with their furry friends, and as for having a calming effect, there are lots of other things that can do that in a dental office that don't involve shedding.
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Permalink Reply by Jill Kring Carter on -
Ya know, I've always respected the unquestionable effect of pets as stress relievers (for pet lovers), and support their existence in a NON-procedure environment. That said, having spent endless hours in operatories, OR's and ER's, I can only imagine that instant when a pet suddenly moves or jumps or......eeeeek...... happens to knock the arm of the provider while he or she is performing a procedure - with a power instrument to boot.......... or causes a patient to suddenly sneeze....... Oy.
Given a vote, I'd vote 'No" on this. I want to vote "Yes", because it's a great idea in theory, until you think through the potential consequences.
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Permalink Reply by Penny Anderson on -
As one of the biggest dog lovers in this group and the author of the discussion you are commenting on, I absolutely agree! A pet, any pet, has no business in a health-care environment for the simple reason of a sterile environment and infection control. But I work in an office environment where no health-care procedures are done, and I occasionally have been known to bring my poodle and bichon to work, especially on Halloween. Other employees bring their two-legged kids to trick or treat and I bring my four-legged kids!
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Permalink Reply by Teresa Duncan on -
There are offices in our area that advertise it as pet therapy! I would love to have my furballs with me and on non-patient days, I used to bring my oldest dog but he would just nap at my feet while I worked.
Penny - do you dress them up for Halloween!? We need pics!
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Permalink Reply by Penny Anderson on
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As a matter of fact, I do! They each have their own Halloween sweater, so I'll try to get some pictures to post. I also am a big University of Oklahoma football fan (an alum) and I have jerseys for me and my dogs with our names on them! I know, I'm an absolute kook about dogs ... and love every minute of it! ;-)
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Permalink Reply by J R Harper on -
Hi Penny,
I was reading through the thread of this discussion and saw where you wrote that you work in an environment where no health-care procedures are done. I do not understand that statement. If you are working in a dental office, are there not extractions and endo being done? Dentistry is a part of health-care that attaches us to the medical community by systemic conditions of the body. This is also why anatomy and physiology is taught in dental assisting schools so that trained dental assistants are able to put the information together and know how medicine and medical conditions are affected by the oral cavity. This is also why the EHR is becoming more of a concern for dental offices to have access because many patients don't understand the importance of the care they get from a cardiologist to the care they get from a dentist and how that information might effect the decision for or against treatment. With more and more general dentists taking weekend courses to do sedation, implants, and other specialty proceedures, and the care of the patient which includes that the office meet OSHA standards I vote NO to pets (animals) in the office. I had a "mostly white" dog for 21 years until he dropped dead from a stroke and loved him dearly... even slept with him every night, but what about the chemo patients who get routine dental care and other patients who depend on us as professionals to do the right thing in our offices?
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Permalink Reply by Penny Anderson on
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Hi J. R.!
Thanks for participating in our forums. We are very glad to have you. There is a vey simple answer to your question — I don't work in a dental office! I'm the Senior Editor for Dental Economics and work for a publishing company. So, as a result of that, there are no hygiene issues for me. But you make some excellent points on why this is not the case in a dental office, and I totally agree.
Penny
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Permalink Reply by Ayesha Rahim on -
GOOD IDEA and BAD IDEA . I love animals !!! I have 3 cats of my own but as a owner we all know how infectious animals can be. U may risk yourself in lawsuit if an patient reports they have been bitten or got sick. I think its cute but this is our career on the line.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Jane RDH BS on -
I have two adorable brussells griffons that would love to come to work with me..let"s start a proposal!
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Permalink Reply by Penny Anderson on
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I'd love to do that Mary, since I have a poodle and a bichon, but some practitioners just tell me this is not hygienic! However, I'd probably prefer the doggie love, but that's just me. Thanks for posting!
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