A company in Australia has started offering employees six extra days off work a year to look after their pets.
Melbourne-based ICD Property gives its workers four days to settle in a new animal at home.
A further two days is afforded to those with sick or injured animals, or people mourning a pet's death.
The policy applies to cats, dogs, horses and goats.
The company's people development manager, Hayley Randall, told Nine News: "We are taking quite a futuristic approach to what is defined as a family.
"Some of us don't have human babies and we treat our fur babies as if they are human babies."
The period of leave available to employees refreshes every 12 months, although they have to provide evidence for their pet circumstances.
Those who have taken advantage of the scheme have already sung its praises.
Sal Quah, who took some time off to care for his young dog Paris, said: "I could focus on her recovery and come back to work fresh and not having to worry about my fur baby at home."
Tegan McPherson, from RSPCA Victoria, suggested staying at home with a poorly pet is "just as important" as staying at home with a poorly child.
As it stands the employees of ICD Property are entitled to more time off to grieve their pets' deaths than the average British worker is legally allowed off to mourn departed family members.
At present, employers in the UK have no legal obligation to give their staff any time off if a loved one dies.
That will change in April however, when the Parental Bereavement Act comes into play.
Under the act bereaved parents will be entitled to two weeks' leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
