Tonawanda City Hall employees may not bring pets to work

Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Tonawanda City Hall employees will no longer be permitted to bring their pets to the workplace for the whole day, according to a letter sent out to city department heads by the mayor.

"I'm all for somebody bringing their companion, but I just don't think there's a place for a dog to be by your side all day at work. I just don't agree with that," Tonawanda Mayor John White told WBEN on Monday.

The mayor noted he has no issues with community members bringing in their dogs briefly to conduct business or employees bringing in service dogs, but he has received a few complaints.

"I was on a Zoom call myself when a dog barked and people on the other side asked if I had a dog in my office. I said, 'No, I don't, but I will find out where it is,'" White said. "How can you work and do your job properly when you have a dog barking or probably scratching at your pants during the workday? It's very distracting and I just don't think it's very professional."

One additional concern White highlights is people in the building that could have allergies to pet hair. He doesn't want to subject the maintenance workers to cleaning the "messes" of the animals.

Mayor White adds he works regularly with the Pit Chic in Grand Island, bringing dogs into City Hall to highlight animals waiting to be adopted.

"They're there for 10 minutes, and they're gone. And all they're doing is trying to promote the dogs. It's a good thing. It's the 'Paws for a Cause' And the cause was to help them [find a] home," the mayor explains.