PAW-TERNITY

Dog Owner Sparks Outrage With Maternity Leave Demand for New Puppy

The employee requested time to “bond with her son.”

An employee has accused her boss of being “insensitive to women who struggle with fertility” after they didn’t approve eight weeks of maternity leave for a new puppy. The boss shared her grievances about the HR complaint with the Australian Jones & Amanda show hosts, Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones. The hosts dissected the dispute with callers and read off an email from the employee. “I’m now responsible for another living being,” Keller read. “He wakes up every two hours. I’m getting absolutely no sleep, and I’m experiencing all the challenges of being a new mother.” The employee continued, saying that if she’s not granted her leave to “bond with her son,” she’ll file a complaint for discrimination against women experiencing fertility issues who choose to become dog mums. Jones relented, suggesting “maybe a week,” but viewer comments and calls mostly sided with the boss. “I only got six weeks leave, and they want that for a dog,” one viewer said. Others had a more neutral view, saying both the employee and the boss were wrong. “Companies that offer pawternity leave are amazing, but… You [knew] before you got a puppy that your company doesn’t offer this benefit. Deal with it,” one caller concluded.