It’s National Take Your Dog to Work Day — and Denver Is Ready for It

The Mile High City is basically already living this holiday 365 days a year.

Today — Friday, June 26, 2026 — is National Take Your Dog to Work Day, and if you’re in Denver, there’s a good chance your four-legged coworker is already curled up under your desk like they own the place. (Let’s be honest, they probably do.)

Every year on the Friday after Father’s Day, employees across the country bring their dogs to work to celebrate National Take Your Dog to Work Day. This year marks a milestone worth noting: the 28th annual event takes place.

How It All Started

Founded in 1994 by Patti J. Moran, Pet Sitters International is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters — and it’s the organization that created National Take Your Dog to Work Day in 1999 to celebrate companion dogs and promote pet adoptions.

The goals were pretty straightforward: Moran’s vision for the holiday was to celebrate the bond between humans and their canine companions while encouraging pet adoption. National Take Your Dog to Work Day is also intended to cleverly promote pet adoptions — through these work events, non-pet owners witness the special bond their co-workers have with their pets and, hopefully, find themselves swayed to adopt a new best friend of their own.

And the numbers back up why it matters. Roughly 4 million dogs enter U.S. shelters each year, and approximately 48 million U.S. households own at least one dog — making this holiday relevant to a pretty massive chunk of the workforce.

So How Do Workplaces Celebrate?

The event encourages employers to experience the joys of pets in the workplace for one day to support their local pet communities. Celebrating can be observed by coordinating events such as a Fido Fundraiser, a Doggie Adopt-a-thon, pet fairs, photo sessions, and more. Some offices partner with local shelters to host on-site adoption events — giving shelter dogs a shot at getting adopted by someone who didn’t even know they needed one until they met a fluffy face across the conference table.

Interestingly, more and more companies are going dog-friendly these days — tech and marketing businesses seem to be next in line for offering this perk to employees. Amazon, Airbnb, Procore Technologies, Vungle, and Radio Systems Corporation are just a few of the companies across the nation supporting pet-friendly policies.

Oh, and if you’re worried about benefits beyond “cute dogs everywhere” — dogs relieve stress, improve collaboration, promote creativity, and enhance work/life balance. So really, your boss should be thanking you.

Denver: Already Living Its Best Dog Life

If any city was built for this holiday, it’s Denver. Like, we didn’t need a national observance to tell us this — we’ve been living it.

Around 50% of Denver’s residents have a dog, with 68% reporting that they own at least one pet, according to a 2024 survey by the Colorado Polling Institute. In the same poll, just 20% of Denver residents said they had children under 18. Read that again. More dogs than kids. Denver is, without a shadow of a doubt, a dog city.

Denver Parks & Recreation estimates the dog population in Denver at around 160,000 — and those pups aren’t exactly staying home and missing out. Getting a drink at an outdoor patio in Denver usually includes a four-legged accomplice lying nearby, largely by design — in fact, in 2014, Denver became the first municipality in Colorado to allow dogs on public patios where food is being served.

A dog-walking study released in May ranked Denver as the second most dog-friendly city in the U.S. And it’s not hard to see why. Between the mountain air, more than 200 city parks, and countless trails that double as dog-walking routes, this is one of the few big metros where “taking the dog out” often means heading somewhere scenic.

Dog-Friendly Events That Make Denver a Cut Above

Denver’s dog culture goes well beyond just tolerating your pup at brunch. Denver doesn’t just have dog-friendly spaces — it has an entire culture that celebrates them not just one day a year.

• Bark at the Park at Coors Field — The Colorado Rockies host several of these special games each summer, where fans can bring their dogs to the ballpark. With designated dog-friendly seating and activities, it’s a must-do for sports-loving pet parents.
• Furry Scurry at Wash Park (May) is a 5K walk and fundraiser organized by Humane Colorado. Expect costumes, local vendors, and a happy chaos of tails.
• Bow Wow Beach Doggie Day at Water World (September) is the annual end-of-season pool day — hundreds of dogs diving, paddling, and running in the shallows.
• The Ugly Sweater Pup Parade downtown in December is a holiday stroll that somehow gets bigger (and more ridiculous) every year.

Dog-Friendly Workplaces Are Already a Thing Here

Denver’s tech and startup scene has been ahead of the curve on the whole “dogs at work” thing for years. Several Denver-based companies make every day feel like National Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Bitly, a link management platform with offices in Denver, loves its dogs so much that it is “Take Your Dog to Work Day” every day in all three office locations — with dog treats and water bowls throughout, plus designated “relief areas” for when nature calls.

Rover.com has even released a list of the 100 most dog-friendly companies across the U.S., and Colorado companies have made the cut. According to Phil Tedeschi, executive director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, the perks go beyond just happy pet parents. “The bond between humans and animals is good for human health and can build connections in the work environment,” Tedeschi said.

Coworking spaces have gotten the memo too. Shift Workspaces Corona welcomes dogs every day — a truly pet-friendly coworking space in the heart of Denver, located near Washington Park and Cheesman Park, perfect for mid-day walks and fresh air, with private offices, outdoor terraces, and wellness amenities for you and your pup. HomeDog is another unique pet-friendly coworking space that combines a workspace with dog daycare and a cozy coffee shop environment. Honestly, that’s the dream.

Colorado at Large: A Dog Lover’s Paradise

It’s not just Denver, either. There are 548 dog-friendly cities in Colorado — which feels like a flex, but honestly tracks. The state’s mix of mountains, open spaces, and dog-friendly communities makes Colorado a dream destination for active dog owners. Colorado Springs, for example, rounds out dog-friendly city lists with high marks for dog ownership and one of the strongest dog-walking search interest scores — while the city’s scenery and community vibe make it a standout for dog lovers.

Bottom Line

National Take Your Dog to Work Day exists to remind the rest of the country what Denver already knows: dogs make everything better — including Mondays. Whether your office rolls out a full-on dog parade or just lets a few well-behaved pups nap under the desks, today is the day to lean into it. And if you don’t have a dog yet? For a small fee, some shelters might even let you take a dog to work with you, which might convince someone else to adopt them.

So go ahead — let today be the nudge someone needed to head to the shelter this weekend. Denver’s dog population would love the company.

Happy National Take Your Dog to Work Day, Denver. Now go give that pup a treat — they’ve earned it.