Anyone who's ever welcomed home a fur baby knows that puppies are a lot of work, especially in the early going. They need to get comfortable with their new surroundings, understand new rules and get familiar with their human family. That's hard to do when you're out of the house for 8+ hours a day.

Companies are starting to catch on and have started to offer paid leave for employees who get puppies.

With young people having less children now than ever before, "Pawternity leave" might become a great way for companies to attract skilled workers. The Washington Post reported last year that millennials are now less likely to own a home, have a child or buy a car than their parents were at the same age. There's only one thing they do more of: own pets.

Mars Petcare in Washington was one of the first to offer the leave. They give employees 10 paid hours to use for a new pet. That's perfect for making vet appointments, leaving early to avoid house accidents or just to have a new animal spend less time alone. After the 10 hours employees can bring their pets to work with them.

A company in England, BitSol Solutions, goes even further. They offer a full week off.

"Pets are like babies nowadays, so why shouldn't staff have some time off when they arrive?" asked company owner Greg Buchanan.

Some companies are offering pet bereavement too, which isn't a surprise after a new study showed losing a pet can be equivalent to losing a family member.

As companies try to get the best and brightest workers more and more peculiar perks are popping up. Research is also showing that workers would rather be happy than be paid more in a job they didn't like.

If my boss is reading this, how about nap time?