Subscribe to the blog by RSSCongress Goes to the Dogs
Tomorrow marks the official start of the 112th Congress. So I thought I would share a fun and inspiring video highlighting how one of the new GOP members, incoming freshman Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona's 5th Congressional District, took his dog, Charlie, to work with him in the Maricopa County Treasurer’s Office. Charlie, who was adopted from an animal shelter, was eventually promoted to the rank of “morale officer.”
Those of us at the Humane Society Legislative Fund and The Humane Society of the United States understand the benefits of allowing employees to bring their dogs to the workplace. Indeed, we wrote the book on it—Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces—and about 10 percent of our headquarters workforce are canine colleagues. Like Charlie, they work for free, paid only in treats and belly rubs. The question is: Is Charlie coming to Washington, too?
Michael Markarian is the president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that lobbies for animal welfare legislation and works to elect humane-minded candidates to public office. In almost 15 years in the animal protection movement, Markarian has worked for the passage of countless state laws and federal statutes to protect animals, in addition to helping defeat some of the strongest anti-animal welfare politicians in the United States. 
