The Couch?! team has recently acquired its own bundle of executive fun in the shape of Pumpkin the puppy but it’s not the first high-brow, award-winning team to go mad about those with four-legs.

Reported in the Times, is Jilin Jiangshan Human Resources Development Company who allegedly upset Shanghai college graduates by advertising for dogs. That is to say, people born in the year of the dog, one of the 12 animals in the Chinese calendar.

Mr Dong, the company’s personnel director, is himself a “dog” so it’s little wonder that he believes his fellow dogs to be honest and loyal, two prized characteristics, says the article.

So we felt it was only fitting to mark the next year of the dog (starting on January 29, 2006) with our very own list of office pet hates:

• Biting: remarks, well frankly life’s a b**ch without having to put up with that too.




• Barking: there’s always a loud-mouth that just can’t stand to be ignored.




• Crapping: just when you’re feeling at your lowest your colleagues and supposed friends go and dob you in or show you up at a meeting.




• Stealing: magpies suck – just as you’re crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s someone bounds in and makes it across the finish line first with your work cunningly disguised as theirs.




• Chewing: lend someone your favourite pen and inevitably it comes back with executive chew marks on it.




• Humping: ahem, no not that kind but what about the hoisting variety – you spend each and everyday humping around your gym kit to and from work but do you ever get to put it on – of course not because you’re always working.

Are your pets and or colleagues well-heeled? We’d like to hear your stories (of the two and four-legged variety of course) – simply post your comments in the box below.