The Home Edit's Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin Share Their Secrets for a Pet-Friendly Workspace

Janine Henni
·3 min read
The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace
The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace

CESAR

Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin know that pets make everything better.

The Home Edit founders have teamed up with CESAR Canine Cuisine to make the world more dog-friendly, starting with the workspace. The professional organizers speak from the heart — Shearer, 40, owns a cockapoo named Indie and a dachshund/Italian greyhound mix named Emmett, while Teplin, 42, has a mini Bernedoodle called Mabel.

"We love having our dogs at work with us, and we love that Cesar understands that benefit," Shearer says, adding that the pet food brand has tips for curating a pet-friendly space.

The Get Organized with the Home Edit stars also shared some of their favorite hacks for making a workspace more pet-friendly with PEOPLE.

Whether you're working remotely or in the office with your dog in tow, Shearer says that clear bins are a must for organizing your pet's space.

"We love a zone! If you watch the show, read the books, you know we love a zone, and we treat the pets no differently," Teplin says.

To start your pet-friendly work area, Shearer suggests designating a basket or cart as a one-stop spot for your pup's daily essentials, like collars and leashes. From there, place a pet mess cleanup kit somewhere discrete in the same area.

"Dogs do have accidents occasionally, so having a caddy with all your cleaning supplies, rags, and sprays underneath the sink, or someplace tucked away, is a great way to keep from your place devolving into pet wasteland," Shearer says.

The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace
The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace

CESAR

RELATED: U.S. Vet Expert Shares How to Keep Your Pets Safe During a Heat Wave: 'Heat Stroke Is Serious'

According to data from the latest American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey shared by Cesar, 70% of American households include a pet, and about 23 million homes welcomed a pet during the pandemic. While most traditional offices aren't yet pet-friendly, Shearer and Teplin encourage employees to bring their pups to work at The Home Edit House in Nashville.

"It sort of combines everything for us about wellness, mental health, organization," Teplin says of The Home Edit House's pet-friendly policy, which helps bring dogs' "positive" energy to busy days at the headquarters.

The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace
The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin have partnered with CESAR Canine Cuisine to help further the brand’s commitment to making the world a dog-friendly place, starting with the workplace

CESAR

RELATED: Expert Advice on How to Protect Pets from Ticks, Allergies, Fireworks and Other Summer Dangers

On a personal note, Shearer says having her pets close during the workday makes all the difference.

"I think that having pets around is a form of self-care, just like organizing," she explains. "I know for me personally, in the things that I've been dealing with the last few months, with breast cancer, having my dogs around has been the most emotional wellbeing I could possibly ask for. Every time I turn around, they're seated right by me. I open the bathroom door; they're right there. It's just really sweet."

Shearer and Teplin agree that there's one forgotten nook in the home that every pet parent should immediately declutter — the toy corner!

"Pet toys can become dangerous if the pet has started to already take out the stuffing of a toy, things like that. The second a pet toy becomes precarious, it's time to move it out," Shearer says. "Dogs are chewers by nature, so they're not snuggling with these toys, they're chewing on them."

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Teasing what else is in the works at the company, Teplin says that fans can look forward to the next issue of The Home Edit magazine hitting newsstands soon and subscribe to their brand-new Backstock newsletter.

"It has all sorts of behind-the-scenes things, stories that aren't found anywhere else, just a bunch of extra goodies that we have and wanted to share," Shearer says. "We love backstock in general, so this is all of our extras that we're holding onto, and now we get to share it."

Seasons 1 and 2 of Get Organized with the Home Edit are now streaming on Netflix.