Reginald the golden retriever may only be five months old, but he is already having a big impact.
The lovable puppy belongs to Lily Cooney-Wilson and Alex Hill and is transforming not only their lives, but the lives of their workmates.
Reginald (Reggie to his friends) travels each day with his owners to Barwon Heads Airport, where Alex works as a skydiving instructor and Lily manages ground operations.
“I think he’s had a really positive impact on staff morale,” Lily said.
“Especially recently, it’s winter, it’s Victoria, it’s cold and skydivers just want to be in the sky. What with operating days few and far between, he really brings the energy up.
“And of course, the customers love him. It’s nice for them to calm the nerves; they’re throwing a ball for him, patting him, and maybe they forget for a brief second that they’re about to throw themselves out of a plane.”
This week Reginald was named one of the finalists in the Oz Top Dog competition for the Top Office Dog category.
The competition celebrates dogs in the workplace, whether as valued workers or as companions to their human friends.
Lily and Alex were “initially hesitant” to enter Reginald in the competition, but decided to go for it after seeing the mental health and dog-related charities it raises funds for.
“The only reason we were hesitant is because he’s just a little guy,” she said.
“We didn’t want it to be too full on for him, but I’m really happy that we’re able to raise awareness (that) it is possible for workplaces to be dog friendly.”
Visit people2people.com.au/oztopdog to cast your vote for Reginald.
