Like many hardworking Chattanoogans, Bob Barker lives for the little perks of his day job, mundane as they may be.
He savors the drive into his little neighborhood antique shop each morning, adores opportunities to meet new people who wander in throughout the day and looks forward to closing time each evening, when he heads out to the park to catch up with the guys.
On paper, Barker is no different from the rest of the city’s workforce – if you can overlook the four legs, tail and curly white fur, that is. And even then, employees with these particular attributes are more common in Chattanooga than you might think.
All across the city, pets like Barker are working their tails off alongside the owners of local business establishments. These industrious cats and dogs add color, laughter and warmth to the workplace, and each pet owner has noticed the same thing:
“People come in just to see him!” says Bliss Causby, owner of antique and stationery shop Bob Barker, which bears her poodle’s name. “He brings joy to people that come in.”