Pet policies

What are you pet policies? Should we be allowing customers to bring in their pets?

- Anita Nelson, Nelson’s Water Gardens, Katy, Texas

MAUREEN ROWLEY: All good dogs are on a leash at Bayview Farm & Garden!

We are a very pet-friendly garden center. We have a pet department at Bayview Farm & Garden, so we experience both pet and people traffic. Our customers love to bring their dogs into the nursery.

We see everything from the huge, drooling mastiffs to the miniature Yorkshire terrier peering out from a well-heeled woman’s tote bag. We have ready treats, big smiles and bowls of fresh water at all times. We do see other kinds of pets such as the completely tamed chicken in the arms of a little girl, rabbits on leashes, exotic birds on shoulders and a lizard in a pocket. But mostly it will be the dogs.

When a new puppy comes to visit, we have a "puppy alert" message on the radio so that staff members can slobber and gush over the little cutey if they have time. The dogs love the attention as much as the customers do.

Expected problems aren’t that bad

It is really quite rare to find dog manure around the nursery. Most dog owners know to bring plastic bags to clean up after their dog. It is a good idea, however, to install a bag dispenser so they can take care of Rover’s "leftovers" on their own.

We rarely need to remind anyone to keep their dogs on a leash.

Pets can draw in customers

In the fall when we do our Apple Day Festival, we also have an annual doggie costume competition called the “Mutt Strut.” This has turned into one of the year’s most popular events, with live music and a stage where the dogs perform their tricks and display their costumes. The day includes a dog/owner parade through the nursery and the other businesses on our corner. The dogs all seem to be having a lot of fun. There is also a prize for “best dog smile.”

Something to keep in mind is that most high-end gardeners have pets. The people that can afford pets also can afford plants. These people love to spend money on both. A person’s dog is part of their family and we definitely get points for treating their family right. The dogs love Bayview Farm & Garden. They seem to think that it is a central part of their social life. We hear this from the customers.

Recently we have been talking about developing a database with the birthdays of our customers’ dogs. We are thinking about sending the dog an e-mail or card with a birthday greeting and a special coupon just for them. The idea is to treat the dog as the primary customer.

It is difficult to imagine a situation where we would not encourage dogs in the garden center. We always look forward to seeing the pets that visit us and we believe that anything that makes our customers smile is a good thing.

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- Maureen Rowley, Bayview Farm & Garden, Langley, Wash.