7 companies that give staff paid time off when they get a puppy

Anyone who has experienced getting a puppy knows it can be hard work. Owners often refer to their pets as "fur babies," which makes a lot of sense considering how much attention puppies require when you first get them.

Puppies need time to settle into their new home and bond with their owners. They've probably just been taken from their mothers and introduced to a brand new environment, so there's likely to be a lot of crying. And that's before you can even think about house-training.

As it turns out, some companies sympathize with this transition and offer what's known as "pawternity leave." In fact, research from Petplan found that 5% of owners have been offered paid leave from their job to adjust to their pet owning duties.

These are some of the companies which give you a few days off to bond with your new best friend.

Mars Petcare

Mars Petcare was one of the first companies to offer pawternity leave.The company offers its employees 10 hoursof paid leave when they get a new pet, and they can bring them into the office after that.

Mparticle

The data platform provider Mparticle offers two weeks of paid leave if an employee adopts a rescue dog. According to The Times, the recruiter for the company Laurel Peppino said it's to provide time for training and walks.

"We offer maternity and paternity leave and a pet is just another member of the family," she said. "We don't discriminate just because they aren't human."

BitSol Solutions

A tech company based in Manchester called BitSol Solutions offers its employees a full week of paid leave if they get a new pet.According to the Metro, company owner Greg Buchanan said: "Pets are like babies nowadays, so why shouldn't staff have some time off when they arrive?"

BrewDog

Scottish brewery company BrewDog has just started offering a week of paid leave. The reason given on the BrewDog website is that they just really love dogs. Also, it aims to be "the best company to work for, ever."

Nina Hale

Minneapolis marketing company Nina Hale started offering "fur-turnity leave" last year, according to the New York Times

"This is kind of a no-brainer," said vice president Allison McMenimen. "The idea of offering benefits that just help keep employees at the office, that's over."

Musti Group

Musti Group is a pet food company based in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Employees there are offered three days off when they get a new pet, according to The Mercury News.

"Pawternity leave is a natural step in developing our culture," said CEO David Rönnberg. "Adopting a pet is a significant decision and changes everyday life considerably. We want to support our employees during their first days with their new family member and ensure that they can enjoy those precious moments to the fullest."

Harper Collins

According to the Huffington Post, employees at Harper Collins in India get five working days of paid leave if they have just adopted a pet in a bid to encourage responsible adoption of pets.

"At HarperCollins we want the very best of work-life balance for our colleagues, and that includes being mindful about their family needs," said CEO Ananth Padmanabhan. "Pet children need as much attention [as human children], if not more. We don't want colleagues to worry about the number of leaves they have before deciding to start a family."

Some companies offer pet bereavement leave, too.

There's also a growing trend to offer employees time off when their pets die. Losing your furry friend is devastating, and more and more companies are sympathizing.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in San Francisco offers three days leave, Mars Inc offers one day and flexible hours, California-based software company VMware and Boston-based Maxwell Health both offer flexible days, and Trupanion, a Seattle-based pet insurance company, offers employees one day. Canadian company Shoppers Drug Mart lets employees take days off if they have a loss in the family, and they say that includes a beloved pet.