My Pet: Lucy Billingsley

“We always had dogs growing up, but they were outdoor dogs—it’s a totally different relationship. About five years ago, Sumner, my youngest daughter, got a French bulldog named Bacon, and she started bringing him into the office. I thought it was a bit inappropriate, but then I noticed how the personality of the work environment changed. Everyone loved having Bacon around and engaging with him. Then Sumner gave my husband, Henry, and me a French bulldog of our own; we named her Shadow. She comes to work with me every day. It wastes a little bit of time, getting up to throw a toy or pay attention to her, but it also calms me down. We now have two other people who bring their dogs to work pretty frequently. … Shadow is very protective of me; she will check out new people who come into the office. But she’s also phenomenally sweet. Sadly, Bacon has lost his vision, and he has had to relearn things as a blind dog. Early on, it was Bacon who showed Shadow the ropes. Now, she is the one hanging with him and taking care of him. They play happily together and are as thick as thieves.”