Therapy puppies awaited petting in the lobby. A gospel choir sang from a second-floor railing. Rocket Larry, a 50-pound African sulcata tortoise who is best friends with Puka, a mixed-breed dog with a cleft palate and following on social media, walked the red carpet, one slower than the other.
Thus began Best Workplaces for Pets, a 12-hour conference in Los Angeles on Thursday that brought together the nation’s top thought leaders in the emerging field of companion animal benefits. Executives from Google, Imax, Nationwide, REI, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, United Airlines, Walmart, Whole Foods and Zoom sat on panels in front of more than 100 attendees.