Hey Scampi,
Our offices and lunch rooms are in a house and our factory is a completely different building. The owner has kept a cat in the house for years and now brings his dog to work most days. I had my CB in recently to do a Gap Assesment, There is no specific code addressing the animals but under Mod 4 -4.3.10.1, 4.3.10.2, 4.3.10.3 Her note was "The Lunchroom is in a house/office that also has a cat. This is not ideal. Pets are a source of pathogens/microorganisms and thus pose a risk of cross-contamination to employees, of product, and packaging".
We have since moved the lunchroom into the factory so employees no longer need to come into the house-office. The cat was moved to the owners home and he has agreed not to bring in another cat. The dog has never gone in or near the factory. For good measure, I enforced a policy to limit where the dog is allowed and to ensure the dog is walked off the property and uses our neighbor's lawn for the bathroom
JK we are fortunate enough to have a large empty field next door to use for this purpose. I had the owner sign off on the policy, which he was ok with since he's a bit of a stickler when it comes to keeping the property clean. I also added a GMP rule "No animals allowed in any area of the factory" and reiterated to keep doors closed at all times.
I sent this to my CB and I am awaiting her reply...
I will add since the cat moved, rodent activity has increased in our outside traps...I wonder if I assign the cat an official title of Pest control, could he stick around?