If you have visited one of our locations in Kaiserslautern or Ramstein, then you have most likely met one of our office dogs. When James and I set up the Used Car Guys back in 2012, we already knew we were going to have a dog-friendly workplace.
Evidence shows that people that bring dogs to work feel significantly less stressed throughout the day than those that do not. Their presence is shown to reduce heart rates and blood pressure. Dogs in the workplace are also credited with promoting cohesion, trust and morale among team workers and that they make people smile and seem more approachable too. That’s certainly our experience.
Having dogs in our office also provides us with a much-needed excuse to regularly get up from the desk, go outside, walk around the block or throw some tennis balls (for the dogs to fetch of course), which is a great way to clear the head and make sure we aren’t sitting down for long periods of time. And if we are having a bad day, then there is nothing like a little tilt of the head and a lean from a four-legged friend to make it all seem better.
Let me introduce you to the Used Car Guys Pack:
Dalma
Dalma the dalmatian belongs to Sabine – one of the fabulous members of our administrative team in the Ramstein showroom. Dalma is 11 years young and the quietest member of the UCG pack. She comes to work everyday, sticks quite closely to Sabine and sleeps most of the day… unless she hears a rustle from the kitchen – then she’s off to investigate the possibility of a scooby snack!
Lola
Lola is an 8 year mixed breed who thinks she is still a puppy. She belongs to me and visits our Ramstein showroom once a week. She’s probably the liveliest member of the pack and likes nothing better than bouncing from person to person to get as much attention as possible – she loves children. Lola is obsessed with tennis balls and loves playing a super fast version of fetch. Recently though, Lola has taken to barking at anyone coming into the office carrying parcels, so we need to retrain her to love the postman again!
Sam
Sam is James’ 3 year old labradoodle and visits the Kaiserslautern showroom once a week. He’s just grown out of his puppy stage and has become a lovely and calm member of the pack. He’s recently became a ‘big brother’ to James’ new baby, Eddy and seems to have really taken to the role of gentle protector. Unfortunately Sam and Lola don’t love each other very much so we have to keep them apart, but Dalma is a firm favourite of both (the flirt).
Charlie
Nathan’s beautiful lab, Charlie is a rare visitor to the Kaiserslautern showroom but we love to see him when he comes by for a royal visit.
Daphne & Persephone
Daphne the mixed breed and Persephone the rotweiler belong to Mauro who works in our service Centre. These lovely ladies don’t come by too often, but we are always pleased to see them when they do.
We think companies would be barking mad to ignore the advantages of having canine colleagues in the workplace!
