First Brewery Offers Parental Leave — For Dog Owners

The craft beer industry is all about firsts — the first collaboration between two line-worthy breweries, the first six-pack of pounder cans, the first IPA brewed with Brettanomyces. And now, the first brewery to offer parental leave…when an employee gets a new dog.

Ellon, Scotland-based BrewDog has introduced Puppy Parental Leave across its entire company, including its myriad bars dotting the globe and forthcoming sister brewery based in Columbus, Ohio.

“Yes, having dogs in our offices makes everyone else more chilled and relaxed, but we know only too well that having a new arrival — whether a mewling pup or unsettled rescue dog — can be stressful for human and hound both,” the company writes on its blog. “So we are becoming the first in our industry to give our staff a working week’s leave on us to help settle a new furry family member into their home.”

That’s right: If you work for BrewDog and get a new dog, you’ve got an entire week of paid time off to help make the transition as stress-free as possible for both parties. And in case you’re wondering: Yeah, many companies in the U.S. offer a standard two weeks of paternity leave when bringing a human child into the world (if that). So seven whole days for Fido is pretty amazing. (It’s worth noting here BrewDog has also announced “enhanced maternity and paternity pay for two-legged arrivals.”)

The aptly named BrewDog was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, along with “the original Brew Dog,” Bracken. Now they’ve got a lovable lab named Simcoe and a workforce of more than 500 dutiful employees — many of whom have dogs.

BrewDog believes it’s the first American company offering such a perk.

“Puppy Parental Leave will support nervy canines and their owners alike in those all-important first few days of the greatest relationship a person can have (children excepted…),” the company says.

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