Pablo
Everyone who follows Switch on Instagram is familiar with Pablo: one of our resident office pets. Pablo is a ‘possessed breadbox’-sized chihuahua of indeterminate origin, highly attuned to the sound of a packet of biscuits being opened, or the 12:30PM lunchtime collective agreement. He’s the hunter of warm sunlit spots to sleep in and pets from anyone who looks most likely to need a break, and follows Teri around like an oversized ferrari in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Pablo enjoys startling people deep into their work by brushing up against their legs under their desks and keeping an eye on the suspicious crane looming outside of the office. He’s an office institution, and days without Pablo in the office feel liminal, like going into the airport to catch a 2AM flight and finding it empty of everyone but service workers.
However, Pablo isn’t really the only office pet Switch has seen. Mostly everyone at Switch has one, two, or three pets.
Simba
Hot on Pablo’s heels is Simba, our famous hypnotist; he’s a lab-pointer mix with a 100% treat-obtainment rate. Simba is a street-to-seat story, and spends most of his time at the office living the good life of continuous office circulation for treats, cuddles, and comfort (for us, not for him). He’s also the only dog sweet enough and gentle enough to make dog-skittish people comfortable cuddling him, and works hard to make sure everyone around him feels safe.
Patch
Patch is another of the office pets. He’s a ‘walking Persian rug’; a giant, shambling mound of fur and gentleness. He likes napping underneath tables and comforting young actors behind-the-scenes on client shoots. Patch seeks out the desk closest to his owner, and grudgingly follows her around whenever Astrid moves out of range. He starred in our Krea ad where he played the part of professional cuddlebug and aesthetic decoration; here he is, post-stardom.
Nunu
(Nunu technically doesn’t count as a dog, but he thinks he is – and we’re not willing to crush his dreams).
Nunu is our Kinnie ad superstar, and he excels in sitting cutely, being soft, and world-record binkies. When he’s not busy wooing his sweetheart, the vet who works hard to ensure Nunu remains the daredevil model that he is, he’s in the office on shoots. Nunu loves making friends and breaking hearts – so when he visits the office, work screeches to a halt for about fifteen minutes so everyone can get in their designated dose of bunny time.
So, how do office pets work?
You might be wondering how we get anything done with furry love-dispensers around us. The question shouldn’t be how we get anything done with them; it’s how we did anything without them. Studies have shown that office pets rejuvenate stressed-out worker. We don’t tend to go for sweeping statements that are difficult to back up, but take it from us on this: Pablo and his pack of pooch pals (and Nunu!) make the office a brighter, happier, more productive place to be. Office pets means a small break in the day, reassurance unconditionally given, and just plain affection.
Work could be lagging, you could be at wit’s end. Get up to make a cup of tea, and there’s Simba scouting for affection. With a face made for Facebook headers, how could you not share your treats with him?
Or maybe it’s just a bad day, and you’re ready to go home by 10AM; then a surprise Nunu visit occurs, and it’s easy to get lost watching him fly around the office, delighted to be there and delighted with his life.
Or maybe you’re coming in stressed from a meeting. To top everything off, the code to the door has gone out of your mind, so you knock. Suddenly, there’s Pablo, skittering down the hallway on four stubby little legs to say hello (and see if you brought back any food for him).
Or maybe a shoot isn’t going right. The light’s fading, the weather’s playing up, the actors are just slightly off, and it just isn’t coming together; then Patch lumbers up and boops your hand with his nose. It’s a rallying cry, a ‘human, you can do this’ call to battle.
It works. Every time.
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