Pets at work

gradygirl

gradygirl

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I for some reason just remembered how one of our supervisors used to bring in her Rottweiler to work once in a while. (Supers are in fly cars, obviously, so no patients actually came in contact with the dog.) And, when I first got my cat (he was ~8wks old at the time) everyone-even a couple supers-said that I should bring him to work with me one day. I never did, but it made me wonder how often people thought about doing that. And wouldn't it make sense that pets shouldn't be allowed at work? (Cuz I'm sorry, if I were hurt, I don't think I'd want a Great Dane bounding up to me out of the truck.)
 
TCERT1987 said:
I for some reason just remembered how one of our supervisors used to bring in her Rottweiler to work once in a while. (Supers are in fly cars, obviously, so no patients actually came in contact with the dog.) And, when I first got my cat (he was ~8wks old at the time) everyone-even a couple supers-said that I should bring him to work with me one day. I never did, but it made me wonder how often people thought about doing that. And wouldn't it make sense that pets shouldn't be allowed at work? (Cuz I'm sorry, if I were hurt, I don't think I'd want a Great Dane bounding up to me out of the truck.)
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This is a pet peeve (no pun intended) of mine. I have animals. I love my animals. But they are not people and should not be treated as such.

I think bringing animals to the workplace is highly inappropriate. You cannot always tell how an animal will respond to each individual in a workplace. While exceptions are made for service animals, those are highly trained and highly socialized animals. But Fido or Fifi needs to be left at home.
 
Aside from the cleanliness aspect, absolutely not for several reasons.

You are a patient advocate, therefore you need to consider their health.

Some people are so allergic to cats and dogs, being around them for a minute could send them into anaphylaxsis.

Also, pet owners should ensure their uniforms are clean and free of animal hair and dander prior to going to work as some people could react to the mere presence on your shirt as well.

Sometimes, SOMETIMES, pet owners can be just as rude and inconsiderate as smokers. Be responsible out there.
 
OK... first thing that came to mind was SirenHead - a column that used to be in the back of EMS Magazine. He sounded a lot like Rid... but harsher :)

Check this out:
http://www.firehouse.com/ems/jems/sirenhead/02/may.html

The 2nd of the 2 questions starts:
Dear Sirenhead: Think you've heard it all? Well, check this out. I'm a shift manager at a busy EMS service and have been involved in EMS for 18 years. Today I had a new experience. An employee reported to work with a baby goat. She proudly displayed it on the kitchen table at headquarters. <SNIP>
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I'm allergic to dog/cats... I take allergy medicine, so I can deal wit the presence of animals. What about our patients? I think pets in rigs is a really bad idea... in station isn't much better. We had a full-time FF/EMT at my Fire Dept that was training an arson dog. He needed to train him every 4 hours, so he got permission from the chief to have the dog in station - that was cool.

Jon
 
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For the medical profession, pets should be left at home.

My uniforms stay out of reach of my pets to avoid allergens that would may my patients sensitive.

My uniforms also stay out of reach of my pets after work. I don't know what bacteria and viruses can be transmitted, along with any chance of scabies or lice, to my pets and home environment but I am not going to risk it. These are also reasons I avoid close contact with people I care about at work. This especiallly includes small children. Many times I do have the advantage of knowing from lab work what bacteria I am around and that sometimes scares me.

Just threw that last part in there since we just cultured a couple of ambulance stretchers from a company one hospital that just had a nasty C-Diff and a mutant Staph strain out break uses regularly for transfers. Guess what was found on those stretchers?
 
i don't take my dog to work because of reasons that have been mentioned above. Now, when a patient at the scene of say...an accident wants me to transport their pet with them to the hospital because it's their "baby" i still don't do it. too much liability.
 
Fido and Fluffy.......

I agree with everyone, the fuzzy kids need to stay at home........
 
mikeylikesit said:
i don't take my dog to work because of reasons that have been mentioned above. Now, when a patient at the scene of say...an accident wants me to transport their pet with them to the hospital because it's their "baby" i still don't do it. too much liability.
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You dont have a choice. It is an OSHA violation to transport animals in the ambulance. There are usually state laws governing this as well.

You call animal control or have the police officer deal with it.

The only exception I have ever made to this rule was when a K9 was shot and the officers insisted that we drive the dog and his partner to the 24 hour emergency vet.
 
When it is a police officer... yeah... the K9 is a cop - that is different.

What about service dogs?
 
No, even service dogs are not allowed.

The law states no, none, nada. :)

You are supposed to arrange transport via police officer or animal control and of course give the pt a lot of compassion when explaining.
 
Actually service dogs are allowed to be transported with the pt. This has been hashed out before and taken to court. Due to the disability act, OSHA has no say over this.

But, you do need to decon the unit, when you are done.
 
Well I will stand corrected.

Had not encountered this in many years...

All my OSHA training indicates it is and can be a case by case or service oriented decision.

Service dogs can be refused entrance if one of two conditions are met.

1.The animal would disrupt the service being provided. For example a dog in a restaraunt is allowed, however in the kitchen he is not.

2.If the animal would pose a direct life/health issue to others, it can be denied access.
Example would be an ambulance.

It goes on to clarify stating that the refusal of service or transport must be based on strong factors/evidence, and must not be based on stereotyping, or speculation. Basically if the dog looks healthy, he can go.

I would not want to be the one denying them.. :) ADA lawsuits suck.



This brings up an interesting tangent if anyone wants to bite.

What is the ambulance crew is severely allergic? Or what if one of the crew has an intense fear of dogs regardless of their behavior?

Right to refuse and wait for another unit?

"What ifs" are fun...
 
I think in one of these cases I would explain it to the pt and arrange for alternate transport for the dog. Either in a patrol car or supervisor vehicle.
 
VentMedic said:
Just threw that last part in there since we just cultured a couple of ambulance stretchers from a company one hospital that just had a nasty C-Diff and a mutant Staph strain out break uses regularly for transfers. Guess what was found on those stretchers?
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Candy canes and chocolate mints?
 
So do you take the injuried K-9 to the Hospital or make a special trip to the vet?
 
Definitely to the vet. As much as you love your dog, you'd better not be taking it to a human doctor to get it checked out, that is unless your dog needs an MRI, then you can sneak it into Emory University's radiology suite after hours... I mean, yes, a K-9 officer is just that, an officer, but that doesn't mean an ER doc (or any other doc for that matter) knows better how to treat them than a vet does.
 
Part two of service animal question: what if the service animal is not a dog? What if it is a miniature pony, a pig, or a monkey? (Yes, all of these animals are also being used as service animals!)
 
TCERT1987 said:
Part two of service animal question: what if the service animal is not a dog? What if it is a miniature pony, a pig, or a monkey? (Yes, all of these animals are also being used as service animals!)
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Dinner?

R/r 911
 
on a side note i have seen a show where they are training monkeys to deliver tickets when people are pulled over by the police on traffic stops. this take the possibility of the cop getting hurt down greatly...but who wouldn't steal a trained monkey?
 
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