FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A jumpy 2-year-old dog with a name fit for royalty, Princess Abigail Daisy DeFalco — Abby for short — scampers from one end of her owner's office to another, wagging her tail and putting her paws right up on the wooden conference table.

Angel DeFalco, Abby's owner, took her on Friday to work at DeFalco Real Estate Group in Boca Raton, Fla., in honor of Take Your Dog to Work Day.

"I heard about it on the radio and I thought it would be a fun idea," DeFalco says.

Take Your Dog to Work Day is an international event hosted by the organization Pet Sitters International. Now in its eighth year, it is the official day when owners get to show off their dogs to co-workers. The trade organization made up of pet sitters reports that 10,000 companies around the world register for the event online. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association's survey of 619 employees, one in five companies allow pets in the workplace.

The official Take Your Dog to Work Day promotes what Pet Sitters International calls "human-dog bonding" and animal adoptions, spokesman John Long says.

"We were disturbed by the pet overpopulation problem and we wanted to focus on something proactive and helping people. We hope the day encourages dog-less folks to go down and buy animals of their own," Long says.

While bringing a dog to work may be fun for owners, there are some things to consider beforehand. One of them is to plan ahead with their co-workers and check if anyone has allergies.

In DeFalco's office, one of her co-workers, Lisa Cioffi, is allergic to dogs but told DeFalco it was OK to bring Abby to work.

"I have to wash my hands a lot," Cioffi says. "But any friend of Angel's is a friend of mine."

DeFalco and others who bring their dogs to work also should check if having a dog in the workplace would be a distraction.

"I'm glad it's Friday because today it's slow," DeFalco said.

For some businesses, pets can be useful.

Joanna Ribner, office manager of the chute-repair company Southern Chute in Hollywood, takes her two Dachshund's with her every day. Ribner uses the pets, Smokey and Lucy Lu, as a kind of radar to judge a person's character.

"When we were interviewing for PR firms we had one person come in and completely ignore and stick their noses up to our dogs," Ribner says. "We thought, if they treat our dogs that way, how are they going to treat people?"

Sales associate Sheila Ferreira at Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard store Herringbone & Hound says carrying her 2-year-old terrier Lola with her in her purse as she works in the pet store makes customers friendlier.

"They seem more open to talking to us," Ferreira says. "It's great because she models some of the clothes."