Is there a way to broach developing such guidelines with your manager? I’m afraid the baby talking is an incurable condition, but can you speak with your colleagues about managing their dogs’ barking? I firmly believe there’s a solution here that will improve the situation. These guidelines should respect everyone’s needs and also set the dogs up for success in a professional workplace.

There should be clear, reasonable guidelines for bringing pets to work, if it is allowed. One or two or more people bringing their dogs to work shouldn’t mean they become everyone’s problem, because not everyone loves dogs! And even if you do love dogs, you don’t necessarily love having your workday interrupted by baby-talking humans or a dog (obviously a good boy) that barks too much and roams the office to share its vocal enthusiasm. Fortunately, I work from home mostly, so I don’t have to subject anyone to this excessive display of adoration.īringing dogs into the workplace only works if the dogs are well behaved and well managed by their humans. I make sounds I did not know existed within me, but I can’t help it. Help.Īs someone with a (perfect, adorable) dog, I know how unhinged I must sound when talking to him. I keep imagining how these women would feel if I brought in an infant and they had to listen to crying and baby-talk all day. It’s a young office, and I’m the only older one with a kid. Once, one of the dogs wound up under my table barking and nearly gave me a heart attack. I’m only in 18 hours a week and keep convincing myself that I can deal, though it means wearing noise-canceling headphones all the time (and even those don’t block the sound). I can speak with the office manager, but I’m afraid of seeming awful.

The dogs bark incessantly, and their owners respond with baby talk. Include your name and location, or a request to remain anonymous.

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Difficult Women by Roxane Gay