A study by a pair of Eastern Kentucky University professors brings new luster to that phrase about working like a dog.

        After all, dogs don't exactly work. Dogs sleep, eat and sleep again — although now, there is another side to the equation. Apparently, dogs do work: they keep employees happy.

        The professors at the university in Richmond, Ky., asked workers across the commonwealth for views on pets in the workplace.

        The response from the 193 employees at the 31 companies was overwhelmingly positive.

        They said a pet in the office reduced stress, made jobs more satisfying and helped reduce turnover.

        It was really only a matter of time before animals found their way into the American workplace, as the number of U.S. households with pets has risen in recent years — from 56 percent to 61 percent.

Numbers tell tale

        The American Pet Association reports that there are 43.1 million dog owners in the United States and 61.5 million dogs. There is no doubt that dog owners are emotionally attached to their pets, too, as one in four celebrates the dog's birthday.

        Another 75 million cats are in American households, and, as everybody who ever has owned a cat knows, they come and go as they please, do whatever they want in the meantime and do it whenever they want.

        (That makes them bosses, right?)

        Meredith Wells, assistant professor of psychology for Eastern Kentucky University, was shocked by how much people liked working with a pet in the office.

        “It totally surprised us how positive everybody was,” she said.

        “On a scale of one to six, where six was most favorable, the median score was a six. More than one person said the animal served as therapy. It made the workplace more like home.”

        That's why dogs have always been in the workplace at Just Saab, a car dealership in Fairfield where four dogs — Sam, Sadie, Samantha and Buddy — come to work each day. “The dogs have become part of who we are,” said A.J. Murphy, store manager.

Cat responses iffy

               A cat named 93 didn't work out and didn't last long, said Mr. Murphy. He tended to mess up papers on desks and slept on the cars at night. Eventually, 93 took off and never returned.

        Just as well.

        In a follow-up study, Ms. Wells showed three pictures to 230 students for insight into the impact of animals in the workplace. One picture showed a plain office. Another showed the same office but had her cat, Blueberry, in the picture. The third had a dog in the picture.

        Students were asked to rank the owner of each office for friendliness and the office itself for comfort.

        The picture with a dog was considered the best office with the friendliest boss. Not so, though, with the cat.

        “The person who owned the office with the cat in the picture was perceived as less friendly and less comfortable — even more so than the office with no animal at all,” Ms. Wells said.

        Business always has some risk involved. But it gets even riskier when you have a cat greeting your customers. Another study will follow — this one with different breeds of dogs and cats. Until then, Ms. Wells can reach only one conclusion:

        “For the time being, it looks like a dog is good but a cat — well, a cat is questionable.”

        E-mail jeckberg@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/eckberg.

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