What could the underdeveloped research area of canine–human companionship teach us about gendered body work
as well as offer to the field of organization studies more broadly? This paper
responds to recent discussions on the animal in the organizational academy. We
share an autoethnographic story of female–canine companionship as experienced by one of the authors of the paper
and her beloved dog, who is currently living on the borderlines between life
and death, joy and mourning. We find this example relevant for raising
important feminist concerns among organizational scholars about silenced
questions around care and grief as well as for developing more inclusive and
ethically grounded approaches to exploring research topics dealing with
vulnerability. Finally, this paper offers a critical reflection on the
potential and limitations of alternative research in the field of organization
studies that recognizes our affective relations with animals.