Wouldn’t you like time off to play with this little puppy? (Picture: Getty)

ATTENTION ALL PEOPLE WHO REFER TO THEIR PETS AS THEIR BABIES: Here is some validation and a list of places up for accommodating your needs.

Some places of work across the UK are now offering pawternity leave.

What is pawternity leave, you ask? Why, it’s just like maternity or paternity leave. But for a new pet, instead of a new baby.

New research by PetPlan says that one in twenty new pet owners in the UK has been offered time off to take care of a new pet, whether it’s a few days to help a puppy get settled in, or several weeks of paid time away.


Girl and cat

And yes, we are talking about time off in addition to holiday time.



Pawternity leave is offered by some companies for any employee who’s just adopted a new cat, dog, hamster, or whatever other type of pet they fancy. They can use the time to help their new friend settle in to their home, attend vet appointments, or just hang out all day snuggling and playing fetch.

As you’d probably expect, the majority of companies offering the work perk are pet-themed companies.

Mars Petcare (the people who make Whiskas and Pedigree Chum) offers employees ten hours of paid leave when they buy a new pet. And once pets have settled in, they’re allowed to join their owners in the office.

Another non-pet-themed company with a pawternity leave policy is BitSol Solutions, a tech support company run by Greg Buchanan.

Greg gives employees one full paid week off when they adopt a new pet. It is offered on a case-by-case basis, though, so people can’t just go and buy a goldfish when they fancy some time out of the office.

Greg says he realised the importance of time off when you’ve adopted a pet after he took in a second dog and his partner Steph took off nine months to take care of their new pet.

‘Pets are like babies nowadays,’ he says. ‘So why shouldn’t staff have some time off when they arrive?’

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