Don State Technical University, located in Rostov-on-Don implemented the “pet-friendly office” standard in a test mode. As of now employees and students of DSTU are allowed to bring their pets to the building, where classrooms and scientific laboratories of the Bioengineering and Veterinary Medicine Faculty are located.
In the other buildings pets are not yet allowed, but other department employees and students can bring their pets to Veterinary Faculty for daily stay, as well as for examination or treatment.
A special room is equipped here where veterinarians can examine a pet and provide medical assistance, if necessary, or pets can just stay for a short-term during the day. In future pet owners will be offered the services of dog trainers, and a territory for practicing canine sports, i.e. agility, is being discussed.
To bring a pet, owners must obtain administration and their colleagues or fellow students consent. It is necessary to inform them in advance about the type and breed of the animal, its age, health status, etc.
The results of the new initiative will be analyzed in six months, then the DSTU management will consider the possibility of scaling it to the entire university.
The relevance of pet-friendly offices is growing rapidly. International studies show that animals have a positive effect on efficiency, create a more friendly atmosphere and reduce people’s stress level.
According to the Veterinary Faculty dean Alexey Ermakov, DSTU has being actively changing. Over the past 10 years, several other universities joined DSTU. It has ceased to be pure technical, since many disciplines are now provided here, i.e. humanities, related to natural sciences and media communications. DSTU management believes that a modern university should be students and staff friendly and convenient.
Pet-friendly program initiated by the Veterinary Faculty is one of the first steps in this direction. Its main objective is to reduce employees’ and students’ worries about the life and health of their pets, who spend a lot of time alone when their owners are at work.
It’s a no-brainer that animals in a huge university are not only a joy, but also a responsibility and commitment. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the presence of animals does not interfere with those people who don’t like or don’t have animals.
The management of the university will gradually resolve all related issues, and is planning to create a set of relevant rules.
