Beginning a piece of writing with a quote is bad, and using clichés can be worse, but a lot of intelligent, upright, and otherwise excellent people subscribe to the maxim that the dog is man’s best friend.  Google’s devotion to these animals – as recently demonstrated by its participation in the RSPCA Million Paws Walk – has, as a result, won the company a lot of fans.

The Million Paws Walk took place far from Google’s Mountain View home, however; it was, in fact, an entry in the Google Australia Blog (right after “More questions for software engineers”) that began, “At Google, we love dogs.”  And so, “It was with much tail wagging and drooling that a team of Googlers represented Google Australia at the annual RSPCA Million Paws Walk on May 20 at the Sydney Olympic Park.”

The event is a major fundraiser for the Royal Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), but as you might have guessed, the Googlers found a fair balance between work and play.

“Our team consisted of several tiny fluff balls that made up in pure cuteness what they lacked in stamina,” writes Maximiser Associate Christine Knight.  “Some puppy carrying was necessary over the 3km walk – when your legs are only 10cm long, you need a hand keeping up with the pack from time to time.”

Then, while describing the crowd, Knight continues, “Some dogs came in fancy dress, some in strollers.  They were all beside themselves with excitement, including the X-Rhodesian Ridgeback . . . that decided to join our group and wallow in affection.  Despite its owner’s continuous pleas for it to ‘come’ and ‘sit’, it decided to ‘roll over’ and ‘present the belly’ instead.  Such obedience was heart-warming to behold.  That dog sure knew a group of dog-loving suckers when it saw one.”

All right, I’m a fairly stoic fellow, but I’m also a big dog fan, and can’t help but grin at that.  Others have surely felt the same way while reading Google’s dog policy or seeing someone’s canine pal at the Googleplex.  By offering a perk like the ability to bring one’s pet to work, Google has surely inspired – and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible – doglike loyalty in its employees.