Would You Stay Home With A Sick Pet?
by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Please stay home with me!
Good day readers. Would you stay home with a sick pet instead of going to work? Today I'd like to share an experience with you and I want comments on how you would handle it. I hope this article will get a lot of feedback because it's a pet issue each of us may face.
My question is: How do you handle your pet being very sick and you're scheduled to work. This experience happened several years ago when an employee I worked with took two days off of work to be with his very ill dog. He was honest when he talked to his supervisor and the head of human relations. Luckily they had no problem with it. Possibly because the human relations director was a big animal lover who would sometimes bring her dog to work.
His fellow employees weren't so understanding. For the two days he was on personal leave to care for his sick dog he was seriously ridiculed. I overheard the statement "It's just a dog" so many times I was ready to strangle someone. How can anyone who loves animals or has a pet make that statement?
This man had a very sick pet and the vet recommended around the clock care. I've never had to take time off of work to be with a sick pet, but it could happen. I've been mommy to more cats than dogs and they are more independent by nature and when they were sick they weren't as NEEDY as a dog. People who own both cats and dogs understand what I mean. A cat is an aloof creature by nature. They give you the pleasure of caring for them when they decide. Dogs are needy almost all of the time. A sick dog is much more easily distressed if left alone.
Thankfully, I've never had to make the choice of going to work or tending to a sick pet. Just for the record I would stay home with a sick cat or dog if my veterinarian stressed round the clock care. Or if I was afraid to leave my furbaby alone.
I spoke to several friends about this subject shortly after it took place. Many said they had lied to employers and taken a sick day for themselves when their pet was the one sick and needing a vet visit. Others I spoke with had even taken bereavement days (usually 3 days for a close family member). All of them lied and told their boss a relative had passed away. One employee was even faced with the question "where can the flowers be sent." In case any of you have to get this underhanded to grieve for a pet, the proper answer is "in lieu of flowers (insert pretend dead relatives name) asked that donations be made to the Humane Society."
Very clever. And sad.
This is a topic that needs to be discussed with an employer before such deception is needed. Get a feel for the kind of person your supervisor is. Go from there. Some employers may offer time off with or without pay and not make rude comments behind your back. Others may believe it's cause for a write-up. Especially if you lie and the lie is found out.
If you're out of work because of a pet's illness or death and don't tell your employer the truth, this could come back to haunt you. Fellow employees may unknowingly mention why you were out and that would be grounds for termination in many cases. Perhaps it's best to be honest in cases like this.
So have any of you ever faced this sick/deceased pet situation? What did you do? How did your boss handle it. Feel free to leave comments. I'm really curious about this one.
I'd also like to hear input from all of the "bosses" out there. Would you rather an employee tell you the truth about the reason they're out of work or would you rather not know?
I realize this isn't one of my usual articles with lots of numbers. It's still important for pet owners and I thought it would be a break in my usual subject matter.
Elisa
Would You Stay Home With A Sick Pet? to Articles of Elisa Black-Taylor
