For pet owners with jobs, occasionally missing work to care for their animals is a matter of routine. So is lying about it.

Nearly half (46%) of working pet owners in a recent survey said they usually gave their boss a cover story when taking time off for their pet. Nearly a quarter (24%) said they had called in sick when it was really their pet who was under the weather.

Others invented family emergencies (14%) and personal appointments instead of telling their bosses the real reason for their absences.

More than 20% of respondents also said they would look for a new job if they were refused time off for a pet emergency. A whopping 84% said they would support a law letting workers use paid sick leave to care for a sick pet.

MetLife Pet Insurance contacted 1,009 “working pet parents” for the survey, finding that the average working pet owner loses (or must make up) two workdays a year due to a pet’s health.

The bigger issue, however, may be why so many pet owners feel guilty enough to cover up a perfectly understandable reason for taking PTO.

Surveys show nearly half of U.S. workers don’t take all their paid time off every year—often because workplace hustle culture, fear of falling behind, pressure from management, and other factors make them feel guilty about it.

Half of employees say they are nervous about asking for time off, including 61% of millennials, and 76% said they wished their employer would do more to emphasize the value of PTO.

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