> "And how does that work for people trying to concentrate while working, with barking etc?"

People are considerate enough not to bring poorly-behaved dogs to work. I've run into many dogs around the office and have never had a barking problem - they usually just roam in a small area around their owner/team, quietly.

Pretty much the only time I've heard a dog bark at work was when someone accidentally kicked it...

>they usually just roam in a small area around their owner/team.

That sounds quite distracting in a small/medium office space by itself.

My experience has been people who bring dogs to work are often oblivious to the nuisance they cause to others who try to focus.

Amazon also encourages dogs... they have a three strikes policy and lots of warnings. The dog has to be quiet and well behaved to come into the office. Lots of goldens, labs, corgis and bulldogs in the office.

Have you ever heard someone at Google complain about the policy? I haven't.

Perhaps for not wanting to be that guy?

Besides, I don't work at Google. At the companies I did work, when someone brought a dog to work (few times) it was always a problematic situation, people tried to ignore the ruckus, moved to nearby desks etc.

The dogs that come into the office are all well-behaved. It's part of policy, and coworkers aren't jerks. It's still an office, and there's no better way to turn coworkers against you than bringing in a disruptive dog. People are smart enough to know not to bring in a dog that will make enemies.

I like the dog policy, because every so often I have the nice surprise of being able to pet a fluffy dog, at work. In practice it's not so bad as what you're thinking it might devolve into.