You Can Now Take Paid 'Pawternity Leave' When You Adopt A New Fur Baby

In our minds, adopting a new pet is absolute bliss. Our new puppy or kitten joyfully scampers all over us like we’re in a Huggies commercial and it’s all cuddles and cute Instagram pics. Of course, the reality is quite different.
Our fur babies need feeding, toilet training and ALL of the love and attention. There’s also a good chance they’ll rip apart the furniture or poop all over your house if you leave them alone for more than 5 seconds. Or, they might somehow end up in the fridge, like this naughty Lab.

It’s almost as much responsibility as having a real baby, except there’s no taking paid time off work to ease the transition. Well, unless you happen to work for Nordic pet food company, Musti Group.
Yep, the company, (which has offices in Norway, Sweden and Finland) has recently introduced paid ‘pawternity’ leave. New pet parents will be entitled to three days of leave when they bring home a new furry pal. Given that they say 90% of their 1500 employees are pet owners, it’s hardly surprising that they’re the first company to introduce such an initiative.
“Pets always come first in everything we do, and that’s why pawternity leave is a natural step in developing our culture,” says David Rönnberg, CEO of Musti Group.
“Adopting a pet is a significant decision and changes everyday life considerably. We want to support our employees during their first days with their new family member and ensure that they can enjoy those precious moments to the fullest. Paying attention to a pet’s needs and spending time with them supports their learning, builds trust and helps prevent behavioural disorders in the future.”
We couldn’t agree more! Thankfully, Musti is encouraging other companies to adopt the same policy. So hopefully,  we start to see pawternity leave being pushed out across other countries in the not-too-distant future.