Amazon has virtually everything you're looking for, but on the off chance a product you had in your wishlist goes away or a product is taken off the site, you'll see the cutest 404 error message.
Yes, Waffles is real and yes, he does work at Amazon. In fact, over 4,000 dogs can clock in at Amazon headquarters in Seattle all thanks to Rufus. Back when Amazon was run only by a husband and wife managing an online bookstore in their garage. Once they expanded to a corporate building, their pet corgi Rufus visited often and was loved by employees. According to the Amazon website,employees would "lift him up and use his little paw to click the computer mouse."
Sadly, Rufus passed away in 2009, but there remains an In Memoriam page on the website, honoring Rufus and listing his accomplishments, such as graduating Perfect Paws Kindergarten. Perhaps unbeknownst to him, Rufus paved the way for allowing dogs in Amazon's workplace that roam as entertainment or stress relief for employees. A dog owner employee wishing to register their pup requires an application process and proof of vaccination. Once officiated into the Amazon dog crew, the new recruit is allowed to keep their owner company or play in an enclosed dog pen. If they roam anywhere else, they must be on a leash as to avoid potential chaos, and I can only imagine having hundreds of dogs loose across Amazon's 30 office buildings to some comical and hazardous shenanigans.
Lucky for us, the customers, we can learn about some of these puppies, including Waffles, the corgi who told me my page could not be found. How could I be upset at a pooch who loves to cuddle?
There are currently 40 dogs on Amazon's webpage that you squeal in delight over, with six of those being corgis. Personally, I fell in love with Biscuit, the four-year-old Frenchie. Just look at that face!
While audibly awing over how cute these dogs were, I found it crazy that employees could bring their pets to work. There is no doubt in my mind Amazon has the money to provide food, courtyards, dog sized water fountains and dog parks for its workers' pets. There are programs that can register dogs as emotional support animals and service animals, and their dog friendliness policy makes me wonder if animals will play a bigger part in the workplace. In a society where mental health issues are on rise, allowing animals in the office (with necessary precautions) can prove to benefit the atmosphere of the work space. The inclusion of them in the workplace makes sense to relieve the stress of Amazon workers due to the company's high traffic and fast paced environment. You can watch what the Amazon dogs do here:
