Company Paying Employees to Rescue Pets By Covering Adoption Fees for Cats and Dogs

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The pet perks at The Zebra are wild, in a good way.

The insurance comparison site recently added a new benefit: paying employees to adopt pets. According to a release from the company, The Zebra will now cover "expenses up to $300 annually for employees welcoming a new cat or dog." This new perk will help employees cover adoption fees and the initial expenses of a new pet. Along with the stipend, The Zebra employees are also offered a "pawternity" leave — paid time off to get acquainted with a new rescue pet.

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Employees are already putting this new perk to work. Maribeliz Ortiz, an agency quality assurance coordinator at The Zebra, used the benefit to welcome Niko, a miniature long-haired dachshund and her "dream dog" since childhood.

"I’m not ready to have a child any time soon," she said in a statement. "But it feels really nice to be supported by my company to help start a family in the way I can right now."

Dan Kujanek, a senior manager in performance marketing at The Zebra used the new benefit to adopt a rescue dog, Romy, a shepherd mix from Austin’s AjK Family Rescue, during the pandemic. Romy is now enjoying Kujanek's spacious backyard and the love of a forever home.

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Hopefully, The Zebra's new policy, and the happiness it provides employees and shelter pets, will inspire other companies to start something similar in support of adoptable pets and employee quality of life.