Interior Dept. launches ‘Doggy Days,’ becoming first federal agency to welcome pets

The Interior Department welcomed a new breed of visitor to its Washington headquarters on Friday, one on four legs, covered with fur and on a mission to boost morale at the agency in charge of public lands. The first federal agency to go dog-friendly opened its doors at 7 a.m. to 85 dogs — dachshunds, Labradors, spaniels, Yorkies, border collies, Portuguese water dogs, beagles and many others, purebred and mutt — in a test run of perhaps the most nonpartisan policy change of the Trump administration. Zinke, who brings Ragnar to the office most days, hopes Friday’s pilot and another “Doggy Day” scheduled for September will catch on across the government and become a regular fixture at the Interior Department and its sprawling offices across the United States. The Interior Department dogs — carefully vetted for vaccinations, behavioral problems and assurances that they were housebroken — spent the morning lying under their owners’ desks, sleeping, attending meetings (quietly) and walking along C Street NW when they needed to relieve themselves. They became new fixtures in the budget office, the office of congressional and legislative affairs, the cultural-resources office, legal offices and the inspector general’s quarters, too. The dogs — on leashes and the small ones in arms — formed a line with their owners to enter Zinke’s carpeted suite, where the secretary shook hands and posed with them for the cameras. It was, for many employees, their first opportunity to meet the new secretary. The first pilot day was scheduled for a Friday when many people work from home, to allow employees who would rather not be around dogs to stay away. As with any federal function, an after-action report will be done on the dogs for lessons learned. “Doggy Days” will probably extend to Interior Department offices throughout the country, giving managers flexibility to decide when and whether to allow them...more