Pet-friendly Amazon in Seattle.
(If you are new to my Office Dogs Personal Photography Project, you can read the project overview here.)
Wander the sidewalks during lunchtime in the South Lake Union neighborhood where Amazon is headquartered, and you’ll see almost as many dogs as people.
Amazon is one of the most dog-friendly companies in the world, with over 2,000 registered ‘dog employees’. I was thrilled when, one gorgeous October afternoon shortly before Halloween last year I was invited to come and take pictures at their Seattle Headquarters as part of my personal office dogs photography project.
As if that wasn’t cool enough, there happened to be a dog Halloween costume contest going on while I was there. Dogs in Halloween costumes, dogs frolicking in a rooftop dog park, dogs filling the sidewalks at lunchtime, dogs everywhere. Heaven for any dog lover.
This post contains both photos and interview answers, to give you a full picture of just how fantastic life is when you are an Amazon employee of the canine variety.
Enjoy!
***All photos in this post are copyright Jamie Piper. Please contact us to license photos for editorial or commercial use.***
Company name + city location: Amazon, Seattle, WA
What are some of the amenities you have for Amazon’s dog ’employees’?
There are a lot of great amenities within some of our buildings for our four-legged friends. In Doppler, one of our office buildings, there is a doggie deck on the 17th floor for dogs to run around in a fenced in area, complete with a fake fire hydrant. Around the holidays, employees had the opportunity to take ugly sweater pictures with their pups. And at Halloween, the doggie costume contest was a big hit.
In case you are wondering, yes, that is Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump there on the right.
How many dogs come to work at your location?
There are currently over 2,000 dogs registered at Amazon. These dogs are spread out in over 30 different office buildings in Seattle.
Our most famous dog to come to work at Amazon was the very first dog, a corgi named Rufus. We loved Rufus so much, we named an entire office building after him.
Why did the company decide to become pet-friendly?
In the very early days of Amazon, a husband and wife were both hired. They wanted to bring their corgi, Rufus to work, and so they did! Rufus became quite the important team member in the early days of Amazon.com. Employees used to lift him up and use his little paw to click the computer mouse when launching the very first, early pages of the Amazon.com website.
Amazon’s original dog ‘Rufus’.
When did the company decide to become pet-friendly?
Amazon has been dog friendly since the company was founded 21 years ago.
Doppler dog park amenities.
What benefits do you find to having a pet-friendly office?
Having dogs in our offices is an amazing treat – they make employees smile, and we are proud this is such a uniquely Amazonian tradition – it’s truly engrained in our company culture. Our employees love bringing their dogs to work, and they love meeting their co-workers’ dogs. Amazon has been dog-friendly since Day 1, and our dogs bring a fun, festive energy to our offices. In the lobby of each of our buildings, the receptionists have a bucket of treats for these pups! At Amazon, we are obsessed with innovating on behalf of our customers and we think it is pretty special our dogs can be right by our sides as we do that.
Amazon has a special program just for their dog employees called, appropriately, the ‘Woof Pack’.
Entrance to Doppler dog park.
Have there been any challenges to having a pet-friendly office?
Our four-legged friends are a unique and beloved aspect of our company culture and our employees love that they can bring their dogs to work. Of course, if someone has a severe allergy or fear of dogs, team managers are responsible for making sure all employees are comfortable within their work space.
Dog park on the 17th floor of the Doppler building.
Amazon dog employees burn off some work-related stress on their lunch hour.
The epic view of downtown Seattle from the Doppler dog park.
What do the Amazon dog ’employees’ do when they are at work, and are there any new team members you’d like to tell us about?
Our dogs usually assist their owners with their day to day work. Our team is currently getting to know a Great Dane puppy named Floyd! Buella is a popular pup who works with her owner on the Books Team.
Amazon dog employee headed home for the day.
If these photos don’t make you want to be reincarnated as an Amazon dog employee, nothing will!
***All photos in this post All Rights Reserved by photographer Jamie Piper. Please contact us to license photos for editorial or commercial use.***