It’s National Spoil Your Dog day, and what better way to do that than by making your work space dog friendly?! The Home Edit stars Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, because both ladies “understand the benefit of having your dog around all the time!” “It makes us happy. It makes us more productive. It creates a better work environment. It’s a joy!” Joanna gushed in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife. Clea added that having her dogs Indie and Emmett around as she endures chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer has “provided [her] so much comfort.”
Recall, the expert organizer revealed she was having a double mastectomy and undergoing treatment for breast cancer on April 7th, after finding a lump in late February. ““I have breast cancer. It’s a hard thing to say, but it’s easier than keeping it to myself,” Clea shared in a lengthy post. “I’m having a double mastectomy tomorrow (prayers are welcome!), and I wanted to say a few words before I do. I found a lump myself the last week of February. I had been trying to make an appt with my OB for several months, and even when I told them I found a lump, they couldn’t accommodate me. I had to request a mammogram from my general doctor, which led to an ultrasound, and then an emergency triple biopsy. I have two tumors, 1 cm each, that are aggressive and fast moving – but I caught it early. Had I not taken this upon myself, I would be in a completely different situation right now.”
In speaking to HL, she provided a health update, saying, “I’m doing pretty well, I’m handling chemo pretty well…my dogs have been my emotional support companions throughout. It’s honestly made it easier to do things, like being at the office, being here and having our dogs, it just makes it such a happier experience.” Clea went on to joke, “I said to my husband the other day, ‘No one is ever going to love me like our dogs,’ And he was like, ‘I love you.’ And I was like, ‘You don’t follow me from room to room!'”
Both Joanna and Clea shared their tips for making your workspace canine-compatible, whether you’re working from home or in the office! “You always want to create a different zones for different activities and a pet is no different. Having a pet friendly-zone where you can have all the toys in one area, and even all of your pet items in one zone in your pantry, is a great way to organize,” Joanna, who is a dog-mom to a mini bernadoodle named Mabel, explained. “Create that zone specifically for supplies, for toys, have an area to hang up the leash so that it’s not in piles on the ground, have a cleanup caddy in case accidents happen.”
She advised, “Set yourself up for success. Whether you are in your workplace or in a work from home place, you can’t let your pets overrun the environment. The goal is to incorporate them into the environment and make it something that’s enjoyable!” In a recent survey by CESAR brand, 58% of people agreed that their dogs make the best co-workers, so with the help of Clea and Joanna, they launched the CESAR Hire My Dog program, aimed to help pet parents advocate for pet-friendly workplaces. Launched in March 2022, the CESAR Hire My Dog program offers expertise, tools and resources to help make the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace.
To learn more about the CESAR brand’s mission to create more pet-friendly workplaces, visit CESARHireMyDog.com.