A woman from Australia believes employers need to throw pet parents a bone by giving them the same benefits other parents receive.
Mary Rose Madigan, 28, from Sydney, Australia, protests that pet owners don’t receive enough respect in the workplace. Madigan went as far as to write a personal essay stating that she is “jealous” of working mothers because of their flexible working schedules.
In her essay for News.com.au., Madigan said, “Do you need to pick your kids up from daycare? Same, my son goes to doggie daycare. It is also very unaffordable, $42 a day, and it costs extra if I’m late! So, I must go.”
According to Madigan, flexible working hours should be instituted for people with pets, and they should be awarded “the same flexibility and understanding as mothers of human children.”
“I watch as working moms can head off early, introduce flexible hours or work from home more often with absolute envy,” she growled with jealousy.
Madigan explained that when she adopted her Chihuahua Frank last year, she felt he gave her a whole new leash on life. What she didn’t expect was how ‘ruff’ it would be. Madigan said the adoption added “an entire extra workload” she didn’t expect and that she doesn’t have the same benefits working mothers of human children do.
“I really wasn’t prepared for the mom guilt that hits you when you have a dog,” she wrote.
Madigan did acknowledge that having a pet isn’t the same as having a human child, however, she continues to believe more workplaces should be open to making it easier to manage.
“I feel we need to push that same support towards moms with pets,” she added. “I know they aren’t children; I know I’m not a mom, and I can never understand the full extent of the burden, but I do love my dog more than I imagined was possible.”
Benefits for people with pets- these days…anything is paw-sible!
