MILWAUKEE — Here's the plan. Let two dogs run around a hotel however they want. What could go wrong?
Turns out, not a whole lot actually.
Introducing 9-year-old Millie and 3-year-old Sadie. They're both mini goldendoodles.
Five days a week, they’re running around the Hilton Hotel in downtown Milwaukee at 509 W. Wisconsin Ave. They practically grew up there.
“They bring joy to me every time I’m here," Jackie Wheelock, who works for Interiorscapes, which is often contracted by the hotel, said.
“It makes me want to come to work, and it makes everybody happy," Daniel Levit, a bellman and shuttle driver at the hotel, said.
Millie and Sadie love to greet guests, say hi to their favorite hotel staffers, and are always looking to play fetch. That love is reciprocated by all the guests and even the hotel too. After years of running through the Hilton, the hotel has a mini shrine, if you will, of the dogs. There is a monitor playing videos of the dogs, messages dedicated to mini goldendoodles, and a very clear sign that says 'All Guests Must Be Approved by the Dogs'.
“I’ve had hotels call me and say, 'How did you get this program started, and what should we do?''" Rusty Dahler, Millie and Sadie's owner and concierge at the hotel, said.
It’s not so much a program. He just thought it would be a good idea to have a dog hanging in the hotel. That’s when Millie came along. Turns out people love dogs. Who knew. Then he brought in Sadie.
“I have people tell me my mom died recently, my dog just passed, and suddenly we’re into this big conversation about life and things, and the dogs just sort of open up a door that lets people enter," Dahler said.
Millie and Sadie make people feel good. Whether you’re having a long travel day or a tough day at work.
“They sort of have this unifying factor that sort of just brings people together, unlike anything that I’ve seen," Dahler said.
The idea to have dogs in the hotel came to Dahler about 10 years ago. He approached his manager at the time with the proposal, and he was immediately on board. While the hotel already allowed guests to bring their dogs, having one (or two) lounge around the hotel five days a week isn't the same.
"(My manager) would be with (corporate) on the phone, and he would say, 'We're going to have a dog. You figure it out. We're going to have a policy.' And he would hang up the phone, and he would say to me, 'Rusty, just keep bringing Millie to work,'" Dahler said.
It took about a year of convincing, but they finally got approval.
"I thought it would last a couple weeks. I never suspected it would be any more than that," Dahler said.
Watch Millie and Sadie run through the Hilton lobby here...
It was wildly popular. Guests and employees love the two dogs. They even have their own Instagram page. But bring your dog to work day, every day, isn’t easy.
“The biggest challenge, please don’t feed the dog," Dahler said.
People always want to spoil them. Great for Millie and Sadie, but it's bad for Dahler, who needs to make sure they are well-trained and not causing any issues. To that point, both pups are very well trained, listen to Dahler when he calls for them, and haven't been an issue for guests, whether they were scared or allergic.
Any troubles are quickly forgotten when seeing how people light up at the sight of Millie and Sadie.
Now, unfortunately, Dahler won’t work there forever. His dogs come and go with him. They don't live at the hotel.
“I don’t know what the future is here, but I know what it’s done is very valuable, and I would hate to see it just disappear, right?”
But for the meantime, whether you’re traveling or just want a little pick me up, you can find Millie and Sadie at the Hilton Hotel Tuesday through Saturday.
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