Toys ‘R’ Us is headquartered in Wayne, NJ. Bed Bath & Beyond is in Union, NJ.

That’s a distance of 21 miles.

And that is a little too close for employees of the struggling home goods chain, who are Bed Bath and Beyond themselves with worry that their company will look to replace them with cheaper workers who will soon flood the market. Toys, you see, is going out of business in a couple of months.

But it’s the dogs that are really making life ruff for the paw folks at BB&B. I will get to the dogs in a minute, but this is something like you’ve never heard before in the area of hostile bark environments.

First, the basics.

You’ve probably heard about Toys ‘R’ Us, that beloved retailer of all things for children that hit upon some bad times and was forced into Chapter 11.

BB&B isn’t in quite such bad shape. But like all brick-and-mortar retailers, the seller of household goods has had better times. Its credit rating has been cut and Wall Street has been punishing BB&B’s stock.

So it is logical that BB&B management would look for a cheaper way to conduct business. And, apparently, the thought of hiring the desperate people being let go from Toys ‘R’ Us headquarters hasn’t been lost on them.

“They are interviewing Toys’ displaced or future displaced [workers] and word is spreading to be cautious for your job security,” says a source inside BB&B who didn’t want to be identified for obvious reasons. “Personnel are on edge and are searching for opportunities in the event of immediate replacements.”

OK, so far that’s easy to understand. Now the dogs.

While all this is going on, BB&B management apparently thought it would be fun to allow — no, encourage — headquarters workers to bring their dogs to work. All dogs. Any day.

You could call it an open dog policy.

In fact, they’ve made the environment especially dog friendly by redesigning the office so that under the desks there is enough room for dog cages.

Now, I like dogs. But I don’t know if I’d like one caged at my feet begging for treats and to go tinkle every hour or so. And it would certainly be less fun if the dog growling and being territorial belonged to a nearby colleague.

“Dogs see and hear other dogs, so you now have territorial disputes, mating attempts when in heat,” says my snitch.

This certainly gives new meaning to the phrase “office romance.”

And, of course, there is the issue of allergies and such.

But because of those desperate Toys ‘R’ Us workers floating around the northern New Jersey job market, the BB&B people are too doggone worried to say they want those canines gone.

BB&B officials confirm its relaxed dog policy, although they say canines have long been welcomed. But a nervous executives who called and interrupted my golf game on one of the few good weather days we’ve had made this all sound like a crazy experiment that shouldn’t get employees in a lather.

The official statement from BB&B: “We are experimenting with moving to a more open office environment in parts of our corporate headquarters. As part of this pilot program, we are evaluating options to allow us to maintain our dog policy.”

“The picture you have is one such solution. To clarify, it is a pen not a cage,” the spokesperson said.

Oh, the difference is Beyond my comprehension.