Brewery offers paid 'paw-ternity' leave for employees

Sean Rossman | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Brewery offers paid pawternity leave to employees BrewDog offers its employees a week of paid time off to get a rescue dog or new puppy settled into its new home.

A newborn puppy can be a full-time job, that's why beer maker BrewDog — a Scottish brewery set to open up an Ohio location later this year — now offers a week of paid leave for employees with new puppies or rescued dogs.

The company said it's the first company in the United States, and the first brewery in the United Kingdom, to offer the "paw-ternity" benefit.

BrewDog, in an announcement made earlier this week, said the benefit will be offered to all of its nearly 1,000 employees across the world, including those at its soon-to-be brewery near Columbus, Ohio, which is set to open in the spring.

Dog days.



Taking time out for paw-ternity leave! 🐶 pic.twitter.com/JhntbnixFo — BrewDog (@BrewDog) February 13, 2017

BrewDog said the week of leave will ensure dog owners can accompany puppies as they get adapted to their new surroundings.

"It's not easy trying to juggle work and settle a new dog into your life, and many members of our crew have four-legged friends at home," said company co-founder James Watt. "We wanted to take the stress out of the situation and let our teams take the time they need to welcome their new puppy or dog into their family."

The truly fringe benefit fits with the company's edgy persona, its dedication to canines and aim to become "the best company to work for. Ever."

The company's website said it started in 2007 as "two guys and their dog." Since then, those guys, co-founders Watt and Martin Dickie, have created a dog-friendly atmosphere at the Scotland brewery. Staff members are welcome to bring their dogs to work.

The company said it also has "enhanced paternity and maternity pay."

"We always want to raise the bar when it comes to offering our staff the best possible benefits," Watt said. "We care about two things above all else. People and beer. We also just really like dogs."

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