Sylvia Froslie almost missed the dog in the parked pickup cab as she walked into the Veterans Guest House.
But she spotted him panting and alone, window rolled down in the heat of a Reno, Nevada summer and made an executive decision to take the dog into the facility with her after scouring the area for the dog’s owner.
As she started coaxing the dog from the cab, the owner rounded the corner –a veteran leaving the nearby Veterans Administration Hospital.
Froslie, CEO of Veterans Guest House, assured the veteran the dog would simply enjoy water and AC inside while the veteran finished his medical appointments. He agreed and the dog came inside the 33-bedroom home away from home for veterans and their families.
Upon his return, the veteran shared his quandary with Froslie: either leave the dog home alone since he lived a few hundred miles away for a few days or sleep in the car with the pup since he couldn’t afford a pet-friendly room.
Veterans Guest House quickly adjusted its policy so that dogs could accompany their owners to the house.
“We’re completely dog friendly,” said Froslie, who added that the policy change has contributed to the hotel’s 98 percent occupancy rate. “There’s something comforting and icebreaking about having dogs.”
“The requirements we put on it were the dogs had to be vaccinated,” she said. “If they aren’t, we’ll help with that.”
Dogs staying at Veterans Guest House also must be fully housebroken.
To learn more, visit Veterans Guest House here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.