Working like a dog

Sitting at the front desk of Aloft Hotel in downtown Homewood, visitors will find a special four-legged employee.

Olive, a miniature golden doodle puppy, joined the team in August of this year, after the hotel’s director of sales decided to get a dog. 

Taking pets to work is a rising trend across the United States, especially for smaller businesses, according to a May 2017 article in Scientific American that cites the growing trend in companies such as Google and Amazon — which has a dedicated webpage detailing the dog-friendly aspects to its offices — and perceived advantages to having a dog around.

One article cited in the piece, a 2017 study looking at how dogs affect working behavior, showed the pets encouraged more cooperation and communication in offices. Another poll showed that about 20 percent of participants believe a cat or dog can relieve stress, create a friendlier office or provide a positive diversion.

With pet ownership growing — about 60 percent of Americans report owning a pet, according to a 2006 Gallup poll — in a community such as Homewood, it’s no surprise that several local merchants bring their four-legged friends along for the workday.

Olive

Sallie Hallmark wanted a dog for a long time, but did not know how she would raise a dog with a busy work schedule. 

“I can’t justify leaving one at home all day,” said Hallmark, the director of sales for Aloft. “And I couldn’t leave work every few hours to let [a dog] outside.”

That’s when she found Olive. As a miniature golden doodle, Olive is hypoallergenic, does not shed and is very mild-tempered — the perfect dog to have in a busy setting, Hallmark said.

She approached Aloft general manager Elaine Powell about bringing a dog to work and got the OK. When considering whether Hallmark could bring her dog, Powell said Olive’s breed was a big positive.

“It’s good that she’s going to love everybody,” Powell said.

Olive spent her first few weeks “at work” in Hallmark’s office, until she got her 12-week shot which made it safe for her to be around more people and other dogs. 

Aloft is a pet-friendly hotel, but sometimes guests are unable to travel with their pets.

“Nothing feels like coming home like having a puppy greet you,” Powell said.

And while Powell sees Olive as a chance to enhance the guest experience, Hallmark said it has also helped her workday.

 “It’s been so nice. It’s given me a great talking piece with the guests,” Hallmark said. “I just love having her here because it makes people so happy.”

Olive’s presence has also helped another employee at Aloft, Powell said. One employee is from Triumph Services, a nonprofit that supports individuals with developmental disabilities, and previously would not interact with other employees, Powell said. 

Since Olive joined the team, however, they have become more personable, interacting with coworkers and walking into their offices to say hello.

“It has really enhanced their work experience,” Powell said.

Louise

Across town in West Homewood, another golden doodle is hard at work. 

Louise, a 6-month-old full-sized golden doodle, goes to locally-owned IT company Bytesize Inc. off of Summit Parkway with her human, Bre Bruce, every day. 

She has come to the office ever since Bruce got her, even though during those first few days, she did not have permission.

“I figured just don’t ask permission, just apologize later,” said Bruce, who works as an account manager at Bytesize Inc. “… Then, she just became our mascot.”

When someone walks into the office, Louise darts to the front door to greet the guests. Her presence helps diffuse stress around the office, “especially if we’re giving the client bad news,” Bruce said.

Louise can freely wander the office during the workday, but she is also regularly found taking a nap next to Bruce’s desk. Bruce will take an hour-long break each day to throw the ball with Louise or take her on walks around their office building. Whenever they go outside, Louise attracts attention.

“On our bathroom breaks, people always come by and ask about her,” Bruce said.

Having Louise in the office has helped improve the workday, Bruce said, and has helped keep Louise socialized.

“I feel like everyone should bring their dog to work,” Bruce said. “It just makes everything better.”

Jerry

Jerry the basset hound is one of many dogs to spend the day at a.k.a. Girl Stuff on 18th Street. His dog mom, Dee Tipps, is the owner of a.k.a. Girl Stuff as well as a foster parent for several dogs through Two by Two Animal Rescue. 

During the past 15 years a.k.a. Girl Stuff has been in Homewood, several dogs have come to the store to hang out, meet people and in some cases, get adopted.

“We get them all acclimated [to people] because that’s the point of a foster,” Tipps said. 

When Jerry is in the store, he casually wanders around, sniffing a few products along the way, but each dog they have fostered has become well known by shoppers, Tipps said.

Shadow, a German and Australian shepherd mix, was one of their best trained fosters, Tipps said. She would sit by an open front door without moving, and could sense if a shopper wasn’t comfortable around dogs. If that was the case, she’d walk back to the office.

Another dog, named Doris, was adopted by a local family after a man saw her and thought she’d be a good fit for his father, who has PTSD. 

The store is a great place for the dogs to get used to people, Tipps said, because it is a familiar and comfortable environment for the dogs.

“This is a second home for us,” Tipps said. “The store, I honestly call it my fourth child. … It’s a nice transition for the dogs. They might meet their next parents here.”

And for customers, having a dog around is always a pleasant surprise.

“It’s the best ice breaker,” Tipps said. “I am chopped liver compared to the dogs.”