A few of these may seem obvious, but the prime directive is to keep everyone happy. This list includes those in the workplace who may not have their pooches or – horrors! – do not like dogs! Do those people even exist? LOL.

• Make sure no one objects. “Talk to your coworkers before you bring in your pet,” says Sara Radak, content strategist at Embrace Pet Insurance. “Even if you work in an environment with a very open pet policy like we have at Embrace Pet Insurance, not all dogs get along and occasionally you'll come up against coworkers with allergies or phobias,” she says. So “it never hurts to double-check with those in your department to make sure that your favorite canine or cat will be a welcome guest.”

• Establish Pet Free Zones. “It's a lot more distracting to have an animal join meetings than it is to have them wandering the main floor [or parked in an office],” says Talia Shani, head of Content at Yotpo.com, a customer content marketing company. So before you allow employees to bring in their dogs or cats, “set some ground rules for where pets can roam free, and where they should steer clear.”

• Create a pet committee.“Set up a Rufferree team so employees can share any complaints or praise about how dogs are interacting in the office,” says Kathryn Lisko, education specialist, Rover.com, a dog sitting service. “The dedicated team can [then] follow up with the dog's owner,” should an issue arise• If your pet is sick, keep him home “Sick pets spread germs that could lead to a trip to the vet or worse,” says Radak. “If your pet is coughing, has a rash or you spotted a flea, keep him or her at home.”

“Before any pet visits the Petplan office for the first time, their [human] signs the Pets at Work Pledge acknowledging that their pet is healthy, up-to-date on vaccines, flea/tick and heartworm treatments and well socialized,” says Ashton. That’s because “we want to be sure their time spent frolicking is happy and healthy.”

• The pet must be comfortable being around people (other than its human).“Nothing's worse than having someone bring in their dog and for the [dog] to spend the entire time barking, or to growl if you get too close,” says Jason L. Bauman, junior SEO associate, Trinity Insight, an ecommerce consulting and optimization company that allows employees to bring their dogs and cats to work as long as a few basic rules are followed.

“We constantly have people coming in and out of our office, so any dog that is in the office needs to be trained well enough that they don't jump on an unsuspecting visitor,” says Jake Lane, growth analyst, LawnStarter. “While we all love dogs in the office, not all of our visitors do. If the dog can't handle new guests, we ask that they are leashed [and in] an area where they won't cause any issues with guests.”

• Come prepared.“Make sure that if you bring your dog in to work, that they have everything they will need throughout the day,” says Lane. “Whether that is their favorite toy, food or a bed, it's best to make sure that they will be well accommodated so you can work through the day.”

If the rules can't be met, then the reconsideration of “dogs at work” may be necessary.

For more guidelines, you can check them out on CIO. Again, it has everything to do with the comfort of you, Fido and your workmates.

However, as a test run, it sincerely seems like a worthwhile endeavor, and we suggest all workplace consider such a pet-friendly environment!