The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Working from home has become so common, so ingrained in such a short time that it has already earned its own acronym – WFH. The Urban Dictionary defines WFH as “a concept where the employee can do their job outside of the office.” It goes on to enthuse that “WFH offers the flexibility to achieve company goals while supporting a healthy work/life balance, cutting down on commuting time and costs, as well as fostering a comfortable work environment.”

As a long time WFH’er myself, I can attest to the benefits. But there are downsides as well. You miss the interaction with others. You constantly fight distractions (tv, text, email) and interruptions (phone, Fed-Ex, UPS, drop-ins). There is always the temptation to take a short break to do basically anything but the work at hand (laundry, dirty dishes, vacuuming here I come!).

Let’s face it – getting the job done without supervision is challenging. But there is help available, and that is to find an all-purpose employee. The ideal employee can handle myriad small tasks, freeing you up to concentrate on the big picture stuff. They can provide valuable feedback on your work, meet with clients, provide a level of security, and more.

The ideal employee is your dog.

In the 8+ years since Cookie joined our team here in Waitsburg, she has become an invaluable asset to our daily work routines. As a receptionist, she is everything one could require – attentive, friendly, rarely distracted by office politics, and never stuck on the phone. She will always be the first to welcome visitors, and if their business here should involve a Milk-bone treat, they will get the red carpet treatment, including the highly-sought-after roto-tail wag.

Cookie also handles security. From what might appear to the untrained eye to be a dog who is sound asleep, she will snap to attention the instant an intruder approaches the front gate. If it’s a friend or a client, she will quickly transition to her receptionist mode. If it happens to be a cat or a dog, bedlam will ensue, and she’ll grab Mr. B and take off barking.

Janitorial duties are also part of her workday. These mostly involve keeping random bits of food off the kitchen floor, but she’s quite tidy with her personal workspace (a padded dog bed). She respects the office furniture and doesn’t dig, tear, bite, or shred anything (other than Mr. Duck – see Chronicle #13).

As a Gal Friday, she is exemplary on the job seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Never a complaint about working overtime, no whining about a missed holiday, completely unbothered by the prospect of a pay freeze. Her medical care is provided, of course, but other than her flea and tick medication, it’s significantly less expensive than ours.

As a creative director, Cookie has taken the lead on virtually all of these Chronicles. She also pitches in on other tasks, such as visits to wineries, Zoom meetings, and basic brainstorming.

Back in my office days in Seattle, I occupied a cubby hole with just enough room for a desk, computer, and some files. Tiny though it was, it had two fine features—a window, and a short wall. Just on the other side of the wall was a co-worker with whom I could chat. And when deadlines loomed, and I was perhaps just a tiny bit frustrated, I could launch an all-out crumpled paper war, lobbing failed scripts over the top.

With Cookie, lobbing anything in her direction is a welcome diversion, especially if it happens to be a ball. Break time in the office is pretty much whenever I feel like it, and if it’s been more than an hour or two, a gentle reminder in the form of a carefully positioned ball will magically appear right behind me. I stand at my desk, so one false step and… well, it’s game on.

Lest you fear that Cookie is somehow being exploited, let me assure you that working from home is a dog’s idea of paradise. A good dog wants to have a job, wants their person(s) close at hand, wants praise for helping out, wants plenty of recreational opportunities, and a well-stocked lunchroom. I’m proud to say we provide all of the above. And in exchange, we get a happy, multi-tasking employee who works for, well, not peanuts. But for Cookie, cashews are better than cash.