Alfie the Council Dog Wins NZ Top Office Dog Trophy

Press release

Friday, 12 August 2016

Alfie the Council Dog Wins Nz Top Office Dog Trophy

Alfie the Council Dog is the winner of New Zealand’s Top Office Dog competition.

The Jack Russell is an ace barker on command, a swift fetcher of balls, and plays a convincing ‘dead’ when ordered. He is obsessed with brooms.

He beat 63 other canines to win the top prize with his winning entry:

“I work at Western Bay of Plenty District Council in Tauranga. I came there as a stray last year and the staff took me under their wing. They raised money to fix my broken leg and I was eventually adopted by their animal trainer Betty. Now I come to work every day as part of the team!” barked Alfie.

“I'm the council's official spokesdog. I represent all dogs in the district and have been the face of our recent dog control policy review. My friendly face has helped us build relationships with dog owners across the district better than ever before! I led mass dog walks, met look-a-likes and I even got animated for the project! I take part in all aspects of work life - and am loved by over 250 staff. Pick me for office dog of the year!” woofed the pooch on Instagram.

Betty Hall is the Council’s Animal Service Officer, and described by her colleagues as a dog whisperer. While waiting for adoption, she began training Alfie soon after his arrival. It was on the day of a Council Doggy Day Out event, Betty announced to staff and the public that Alfie was no longer available for adoption as she was officially adopting him. Alfie now lives on Betty’s farm by night, and accompanies her to work at the Council by day.

Alfie’s colleagues believe the pooch’s entertaining personality and calming canine presence is a wonderful break from some of the harder work they do.

Jane Kennelly, founder of Frog Recruitment the organiser of the annual competition, can speak about the benefits of bringing a dog to work. “It’s well documented that dogs in the workplace are good for wellbeing and motivation,” says.

“Within the broader context of the talent economy we have researched a range of factors that influence productivity and performance at work. Having dogs in the work environment can buffer the impact of stress during the workday for their owners and make the job more satisfying for those with whom they come into contact. There is definitely an increasing ‘cool factor’ of having a dog in the office” says Frog Recruitment founder Jane Kennelly.

“The Top Office Dog competition is a way to celebrate the work of Alfie and our canine friends that come to work and make it a better place to be,” says Kennelly.

Maisie the French Bull Dog from Benefitz in Auckland, and Bellsie the Terrier from Benge and Co Green Grocers in Nelson are the runner up winners. To see all entries, search #nztopdog on Instagram. Alfie has won a studio ‘Dography’ photo session with Mish O’Neill, Animates vouchers, Revolution Dog Flea Treatment courtesy of Zoetis, Karen Walker dog accessory, Mr Soft Top voucher, Doggles and the coveted NZ Top Office Dog trophy.

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