Company: IntelliDyne.
Local offices: Falls Church.
Number of employees: 220.
Spike, a 7-year-old miniature dachshund, is getting his teeth cleaned next month.
For $9 a month, IntelliDyne employees can get health care coverage for their pets. (Mike Segar/Reuters) It will be a day-long affair: Yvette Fowler will drop him off in the morning, he’ll undergo anesthesia, get a deep cleaning and spend the afternoon recovering at the vet’s office.
The bill will be about $350, said Fowler, principal enterprise architect at IntelliDyne. But thanks to her employer’s pet care discounts, she plans to pay less than $250.
The Falls-Church based consulting firm has been providing benefits for employees’ pets since 2007. The plan costs $9 a month, and gives employees discounts of up to 25 percent on veterinarian visits and 35 percent off pet supplies, grooming and boarding, said Shirl Jenkins, vice president of human resources.
“We offer insurance for domestic partners and for kids — so why not for pets?” Jenkins asked. “They’re a part of the family, too.”
Employees can opt in and out of the program at any time. There is no annual enrollment fee, and the discounts can be used as many times — and for as many pets — as needed.
Jenkins said about 5 percent of the company’s employees currently use the program.
For Fowler, who also has a golden retriever named Gunny and a Shih Tzu/Yorkshire terrier mixed breed named Napoleon, the program has resulted in big savings.
“Between rabies shots and dental cleanings, we’ve easily saved $500 per dog in the last year,” she said. “Without this, me and my husband would be paying through the roof.”