A Cubicle-Free Canine Community

With all our locations back at full strength, and yet another award for “Top Workplace”, it seemed like the perfect time to check in with our employees for an inside look at life at The Watering Bowl. After all, these are some of your dog’s best friends and you probably want to know a little more about who they’re spending all their time with.

What first attracted you to The Watering Bowl?

Stacy S. (General Manager): When I first heard about The Watering Bowl I thought it must have been the coolest idea anyone ever had. Dogs. Daycare. Watching dogs. All-day.  Caring for dogs like a dog walker, but more intensive and invested? Hell yes.

Kira G. (Store Manager, St. Peters): I was looking online for another part-time job. At the time, I was at the zoo and wanted to continue working with animals. I hardcore studied the TWB website and I fell in love with this company when I watched the video of why Jeremy decided to open TWB.

What’s the most rewarding part of working here?

Becky L. (Store Manager, Dog Drove): Meeting so many dogs and forming those bonds! Especially when they’re trouble makers or really shy, it warms my heart when they get excited to see me.

Thomas S. (Asst. Manager, Hanley): The connections have been the best for me. I’ve gotten extremely close with most of the staff. I’ve also grown deep bonds with the dogs and clients. We all have our work babies and I’ve been able to get close with their parents as well. 

Stacy S.: Offering promotions to staff members; witnessing their growth and self-actualization here; seeing confident, beautiful, remarkable, amazing, talented, wonderful people do well and succeed in a space that values and recognizes them.

What’s one unexpected skill a great TWB employee needs to have?

Thomas S. (Asst. Manager, Hanley): Almost all of our staff starts on the floor, and for the floor, I think it’s necessary to be omnipresent.

Stacy S.: Every dog has a playbook, but we have to decode the language in which it’s written. First and foremost, we’re problem-solvers and creative minds. There are truly gifted people here.

Sarah M. (Store Manager, South County): Remembering the first and last names of over 200 dogs.

What has working with dogs all day taught you about life?

Kayla D. (Store Manager, Hanley): Live in the moment.

Lynn B. (Asst. Manager, St. Peters): Have fun and love unconditionally because life is too short!

Maggie M. (Asst. Manager, Dog Grove): To be grateful for the little things in life because dogs are so pure and sweet!

Stacy S.: Resilience, bouncing back after setbacks. We humans need to be able to step back, breathe, reset, and try again with the same, or more confidence, and a positive outlook.

How did employees stick together during the initial COVID-19 shutdown?

Kira:  Honestly, the process of being shut in and shut down was tragically beautiful. We stuck together as a crew, a pack. We checked on each other several times during the process. We kept everyone up to date. There were lots of happy tears when the team was back under one roof.

Lynn: The owners and management team helped us with things we might need like dog food and toilet paper. 

Stacy S.: These employees amazed me at how tight knit they remained through it all — even those who didn’t truly know each other or work at the same locations. They showed up to the supply drives ready to hug each other to pieces (but didn’t).

Maggie: Most of us checked in daily and missed each other greatly. When coming back, we were all so excited to see each other and it felt like I was back home again.

What are the best dog names you’ve encountered on the job?

Thomas: I feel like dog names go through periods of popularity. We’ve seen a lot of Lunas, Ollies, and Finleys lately. Some of my favorites over the years have been Fajita, Snowball, Peeps, and more recently, Salsa.

Maggie: Kiss Kiss, Mr. Bagels, Beyoncé, JLo, Parmesan.

Sarah: Shrimp and Grits, Reptar, Waffle.

Lynn: Baloney, Tater, Malarkey, and Mr. Pickles.

If you were a dog, how would you spend a day at TWB?

Kira: Poolside. Duh! I better get lunch too. Ya girl needs her snacks and naps. Don’t forget the belly rubs. Oh, and I want agility extra credits with Jon. It’s clear he’s the treat guy.

Kayla: Start out with some morning zoomies, then take a break on the ramp to re-energize. Maybe play in the pool for a little bit. Play with my bestie Ava Flowers till lunchtime. Come back from lunch and have some more zoomies.

Stacy S.: Hopefully, other dogs would approach me with play bows or butt bumps because I’m a little socially awkward. If not, I would definitely taunt the staff members by playing the “Hey, I want your attention! OH WAIT, YOU CAN’T TOUCH ME!” game. I think an extra credit on the agility set would help me build up my confidence too. I would like tons of head scratches, please, and would be very polite about demanding more. Honestly, I’d probably end up conked out, belly-up in a corner somewhere because I wouldn’t have work to do. I know I’d be safe and in good hands, and I wouldn’t have a care in the world. That sentence makes me sleepy just typing it.

This is just a small slice of our people’s passion for dogs and their wellbeing. We hope your pup will experience it with a day of play. Or, better yet, that you’ll consider joining our pack. Just head over to the employment page for a look at our current openings.