For centuries, dogs have been bred to work and perform specific tasks. For example, Pembroke Welsh corgis often worked as herding dogs and they “were once invaluable to farmers in Wales”. according to the American Kennel Club.
Today, however, the original hard-working dogs are now frequently found hard Working. Like my corgi, Splenda, whose “job” is to help me – one of TPG’s senior hospitality reporters – review pet-friendly luxury hotels, like The Plaza in New York City. Life is chaotic, right?
In Nashville, at Bobby’s Hotel, there’s another kind of job for our four-legged friends: “dog’s residence,” a show that sees rescue dogs from Nashville Humane Association undergo incredible training with professionals, followed by a “working” gig as the best, smoothest, and friendliest greeter in the hotel for a year before eventually placed in a furry home with a US veteran in need of companionship.
It all started with Sasha, an office dog from before the hotel opened who eventually became the first resident dog, Joel Morales, director of marketing for Bobby Hotels, told TPG. “We brought in kind of an office dog, and very quickly, from an idea perspective it became: ‘Hey, let’s train her and put her in the lobby.’
The idea worked, and Sasha quickly became the most famous (drooling) face at the Bobby Hotel, greeting guests and offering smiles and wagging tails in the lobby. During that time, Sasha lived with the hotel’s front desk manager, but after three years, it was time for the employee to move on, and as Morales explains, the hotel realized it was best for Sasha to move on. retire so she can move. with the person who brought her home every night.
“That’s when we sat down and reviewed the program for us [had] must be realistic and cannot assume people [going to] stay with us forever. So that’s when we grew to what we are today,” said Morales. “Community is a huge component of our brand. We wanted to give the dog a purpose, so we partnered with the local shelter, the Nashville Humane Society, and an organization called Pets for water loversis a national organization that provides resources to veterinarians looking to adopt pets, meaning they will pay for adoption costs and food, if they need that help, to be able to have a pet or companion.”
Bobby Hotel also partners with a training program called Instinct to help dogs learn the ins and outs of hotel management – well, how to manage themselves in hotels through social cues and training. practice boundaries so that, as Morales explains, in-resident dogs avoid certain areas of the hotel (like elevators and food service areas) and understand when guests want to interact and when they may hesitate. “If guests don’t come to interact first, they won’t interact. If they see it [a guest] is to get close to them and approach them, then they will also approach the guests.”
But the training doesn’t just provide the skills the puppies need to “work” at the downtown Nashville hotel.
“That level of socialization and training also makes them the perfect companion for people who are veterinarians and may need friends,” says Morales. We work with Pets for Patriots to find them a forever home.”
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Now, several years after launching the program, Bobby Hotel has seen a number of dogs come to work and then go on to be successful, including one dog with a friendly, friendly face. named Hairy and most recently Zoe (pictured at top). of the story), who learned the art of being a hotel dog from Pet trainer Linda Gregg.
The entire program is a community effort, starting with the people at the Nashville Humane Society, who work to find a dog in need with the “right profile” to spend time greeting guests at hotel lobby, followed by teams of experts who worked with the dog in shelter for 30 days (“on-the-job training,” Morales joked) and who helped find the dog’s forever home. There’s even a volunteer fosterer who doesn’t work at the hotel and in addition to their job brings the dogs to work every day “on their shift”.
While there are many dogs in need of homes, Morales points out that the dogs best suited to work in hotels are those that often face the most barriers to adoption, such as old age.
It’s a good show, but also a bittersweet one when it comes time for the dogs, like Zoe, to retire and say goodbye to Bobby before becoming a full-time companion to a veteran.
“People love to see the dog in the hallway and the last few times we converted a dog, we had a going-away party,” said Morales. “We had hotel guests coming. We had neighbors [regulars] Come to our cafe and say goodbye. People are actually very familiar with the lobby dog.”
Then the process starts again and the Nashville Humane Society (i.e. the dog boarding employer) reposts the job description which Morales says includes loads of hugs, a rest area in the back , a bed in front of the check-in counter. table and lots of toys.
And, when the dog is transitioned to its new life, the veteran also gets some special bragging rights, Morales explains: “Not many people can say, ‘Oh, my dog used to do the job. full-time job as a greeter at a hotel.” In one of the most famous cities in the country, it’s exciting.”
If you want to head to Music City, rates at the Bobby Hotel start around $249 per night. Your pets are also welcome at Bobby’s; A maximum of two dogs are allowed per room without charge.
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