This May Be the Most Dog-Friendly Office We've Ever Seen

There’s nothing worse than leaving your pup for the day when you’re headed to the office. And while many workplaces are becoming more and more dog friendly, they’re not necessarily made for dogs. That was until we came across Kurgo, a pet startup that’s transformed its warehouse into the ultimate dog-friendly space.

Designed in December 2015, the Salisbury, Massachusetts-based company turned its 4,000 square-foot warehouse is a space that’s comfortable for employees and their pets. From cubicle-style pens with fake grass to chairs at perfect dog-petting height, this wide-open space allows dogs (and employees) to roam freely and happily. And with approximately 25 employees and an average of seven pups per day, there’s ample room for the whole crew.

Kurgo office. Image Kurgo/Facebook

According to Kurgo’s co-founder Kitter Spater, the space also “has many dog-specific amenities like low water fountains, artificial grass for indoor play areas, treats in the kitchen, a shower for muddy pups, and baskets and baskets of toys.” Sound fun? We thought so.

Kurgo kitchen. Image Kurgo/Facebook

The creative space aligns with the brand’s mission to create innovative, stylish, and high-quality pet travel products that allow families and pets to experience adventures together, wherever life takes them. Whether it’s an outdoor excursion or running errands around town, Kurgo’s travel and outdoor line offers a diverse selection of products to encourage people and pets to do things together. Their most popular products range from car seat covers to harnesses and dog toys.

Kurgo seat. Image via Kurgo

When the company outgrew its old office, Spater, along with his brother and co-founder Gordie, searched for a new office but couldn’t find anything that suited the company. So, they decided to build it themselves – turning their old warehouse into the new workspace. To give the warehouse an office setting, Kurgo’s design team brought in shipping containers to make individual offices (the same ones they use to ship products across the ocean each year) and painted them Kurgo’s signature blue and orange shades. And while employees have individual workspaces, the office boasts several common spaces where people can meet, socialize, eat lunch, or do work if they need a break from their personal office.

“We sought to use found and reclaimed materials as a way to be environmentally friendly,” says Spater. “The design and materials were selected to be dog friendly and easy to keep clean.”

While the design ideas were easy to envision, the construction wasn’t so simple. “It was hard to find people who knew how to build with containers, since it’s a very new trend, particularly in the northeast,” Spater explains. “We had to look to the West Coast and Europe for inspiration. Also, heating and cooling an individual container was challenging, as each had to have its own duct system.” On top of this, Spater tells us that initially, many of the office pups thought the AstroTurf looking rugs were, in fact, an indoor potty area. Thankfully, after a few months, they were able to train pups to go outside when they had to use the bathroom.

With that said, having dogs in the office is not only an integral part of Kurgo’s culture, it’s also an easy way to test out products on the fly. “Our dogs inspire new product ideas all the time, and they are also the first to test any new ideas we may have,” Spater says. Besides toys and beds around the space, bringing dogs to work also brings a sense of camaraderie among employees, including a daily lunchtime walk with all the office dogs. “If you can’t go, someone will walk your dog for you,” he says, adding that people will also go the extra mile for longer durations. “We even have a rotating system to care for each other’s dogs while we are away on business or vacationing somewhere that is not dog friendly.”

Kurgo employees walking dogs. Image via Kurgo/Facebook

At this decked-out office space, Kurgo is going to continue developing products to make it easier for owners to bring dogs with them anywhere they go.

“Dogs are our family members now and people are seeking more ways to include them in all parts of their life,” says Spater. And what better way than having an office made just for them?

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