12/19/03’s illustrious band:

Puppy Break

Brought to you by Larry and his puppy Niko.

Niko is a six-month-old long-haired dachshund. Larry, a colleague of mine, brought Niko to Media Headquarters for a socialization visit this morning. Word spread like wildfire: “There’s a puppy in the art department!� And suddenly everyone had to take a break and go get his or her hands sniffed and licked.

It’s the general consensus around MHQ that every department ought to have a pet, a mascot. Most of us would love to have an office dog or cat around to hold and pat and play with -- and, in certain areas, to send after the mice that feed on food left in desk drawers. Scientific studies have consistently shown that interacting with pets is a great stress reducer, so I’m sure having a few around would increase productivity. In these tough economic times, a office dog might be the only employee benefit the company can afford.

Plus, they’re nice and soft.

That’s it for today. I’m away all next week and probably won’t be blogging, so if I don’t see you, enjoy the holidays! Band naming is likely to resume on Monday, December 29.

Today around the world: December 19 is Separation Day on the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla, a U.K. dependency. The third week in December is also Human Rights Week (United Nations) and International Language Week (International Society of Friendship & Goodwill). So be nice to people in every language you know.

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