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

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

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."

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?"

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."

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 sympathising.

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.