Each morning, Charles the Dalmatian steps into the office on Clyde Street at Hamilton and makes his rounds. He likes to check on all of his coworkers before the day gets too far ahead; a kind of morning inspection of the troops before the laptops are fired up and work gets under way.
He knows his way around the boardroom, and that he shouldn't have his feet on the table. He likes to greet new people with a smile (he can actually smile on cue), and he's always keen to share lunch.
He knows when one of his coworkers are having a hard day and, like a true team player, he's always around for emotional support. The office life suits him. Well, except for the landline, which he's not too fond of, but it usually quiets down after he tells it to. He's working on making friends with the ring tone.
His owner, Melissa Evans, has looked after Charles since he was a puppy. He came from a breeder's litter in Victoria, when Ms Evans lived near Geelong, and moved with her when she came to the Hunter for work a few years ago. Dalmatians are "velcro dogs", Ms Evans explains; they stick to your side and they like to keep you company.
At his workplace, recruiting firm Verve Partners, while his coworkers are doing their jobs, he likes to sit somewhere nearby and watch, or wander over to a pat when one of them is one the phone.
Charles is pushing six-years-old now and started coming to work with Ms Evans as a way of dealing with his separation anxiety. He doesn't like to be left alone too long and with Ms Evans working full time, it was hard for him to stay home on his own.
His coworkers love him, and so do their clients, and he has a way of bringing a feel-good kind of energy to the place.
"He's a very friendly, warm dog," Ms Evans said, "And very calm most of the time. He's pretty chilled out. His favourite part of the day is lunch."
Charles is, in fact, so good at his job that he has been named a finalist in the national awards for top office dog, competing against working dogs around the country.
Ms Evans put Charles in the running after seeing the entry callout from People2People Recruitment who have run the poll for the past three years.
Research by the firm has found that around one in three Australians adopted a pet in the last three years, and the company of our best furry friends in the office has a significant positive impact on morale, especially as workplaces around the country struggle to get back to the office after the pandemic.
According to the recruiter's research, more than three in five employees would be more likely to go into the office if there was a dog.
There were more than 400 entires to the competition, from which only seven finalists were selected in Charles' category. When voting for the people's choice category opened on the People2People Recruitment website, the Herald was told is was flooded with thousands of votes within the first 24 hours.
Charles' closest competition is red cattle dog called Frosty, who works in a law office on the Central Coast. Five others are from Sydney and surrounds, but even if we do say so ourselves, the Hunter dog is the clear winner to our thinking.
If Charles comes off with the top honours, he will come away with a trophy and $1000. Winners are expecting to be announced on August 25.
"Charles is definitely the top office dog," Ms Evans said, "I asked one day if I could bring him in, and now everyone asks when he's coming in next.
"He's always just around and makes everyone happy."
