Working at home for such a long stretch of time has, of course, created odd dynamics for all of us. My dog, an elderly Yorkshire terrier, has taken up residence next to my makeshift desk. One of his many beds is next to my chair, and occasionally he worms his way onto my lap. That's when the trouble can start.
Despite being a mere three kilograms, my pup can do some damage the second he gets his tiny paws on my keyboard, but at least he has not done any real harm yet.
A senior banker friend of mine recently told me about a trader he works with, who has a labradoodle. The fluffy monster has made a name for himself in the background of Zoom calls, but he thinks he's a bit more a part of the team than he really is.
In true obsessive banker form, my friend keeps multiple screens open and running day and night in his home office so that he does not miss a beat. But one night, he heard odd noises coming from his computer when the monitors should have been quiet.
The chap went to investigate, only to find what looked like work, and possibly some misplaced trades, coming in. He quickly called the colleague who looked to be responsible and found him to be asleep. But as soon as the trader awoke, the culprit was identified.
The labradoodle was having a ball pawing his owner's keyboard – and sending through random things to the banker.
Fortunately, no fat-finger errors, or should I say dog-paw, errors were made, but the labradoodle is now under strict watch – and the trader’s computers get turned off for the night.