We met so many pawsome pets in part one of our series — Tails and Ticket Sales: What If Dogs and Cats Ran the Show? There were ticket sellers, will-call professionals, call center reps and even a supawvisor (see what I did there?!) and a couple of box office managers.
Today, we’ve fetched more pawsitively amazing dogs and purrfect cats for the ticketing team. When it comes to hospitality, service, security and more, these cuties have got things down to a fine arf (or meow)!
Potato — Usher/Ticket Taker
Potato is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who goes to work almost every day with Vee Butler, Senior Director of Sales at Tennessee Theatre.
“He gets excited when I say, ‘Do you want to go to work today?’ I ask him every morning,” Vee says. “He does his rounds in the offices. So, because my box office is removed from where my office sits, we'll go get a water fill up and coffee, and we'll go say hi to the fundraising and box office teams. We sit back with the events and operations team, so when all the tour people come in, they stop and say, ‘Oh, my God, it's a Corgi.’ He loves it and he ah-wooos hello at all of them.”
Vee is working on shutting off Potato’s “ah-woooo” when the phones go on.
“After 10 a.m., I have to tell him, ‘Phones are on, you can’t say hi.’ He lets out a little grumble instead of a loud woo. A lot of people say I talk to him like a person, but he seems to get it. Traditionally, they are a smart breed, but I think I just got a dog who understands my tone.”
If Potato had a job at Tennessee Theatre, he would be the usher at the door, scanning tickets and saying hi to all the attendees. He already does that with every single person he sees coming into the building.
“The Executive Director saw him this morning and he rolled over for a belly rub immediately,” Vee says. “He makes sure everyone says hi. Everyone has a toll to pay.”
Vee is also very popular among artists and touring personnel.
“Sometimes artists request that only executive personnel be backstage or in the back hallways, and I'll have to walk through to get to another office or check on ticketing something, and I'll take Potato with me … I walk back there with a Corgi and you just see people fall over and say, ‘Oh my God, I have a Corgi, and I miss my dog while we're on tour.’ Immediately, they're on the ground with him, playing and giving pets. Those are surprising moments where you think, OK, we're going to be very professional, and then you walk by five people eating lunch, and they drop everything to say hi and get their pets in.”
Potato is clearly a VIP (very important pup) amongst this team. He got his own headshot when the staff had theirs done. He was also in the venue’s Christmas card last year.
Lola — Usher/Ticket Taker
Lola is an American Staffordshire Terrier-Boxer mix who is part of the fully remote team at Choice Ticketing. “Our furry coworkers keep the day moving,” Customer Experience Director Laura Bassett says.
If Lola worked in ticketing, she would definitely be an usher/ticket taker. “She loves everyone and would be more than happy to meet all the people and get them in their seats.”
Here is Lola dressed in her finest for the workday:
Moose — Security Guard
Lola lives with her brother Moose, a Yorkie-Silky mix. “Both Lola and Moose are rescues, and despite their comically large size difference, they are best friends,” Laura explains. “Moose protects Lola with every one of his eight pounds.”
Laura continues, “Moose loves to alert the whole house when a car drives down the street, so [if he worked in live events,] he would be the fiercest security guard in the entire auditorium.”
Because they are both rescues, Lola and Moose do have some separation anxiety. “They love that both my partner Mark and I work from home, so they have company all day long,” Laura says. “They love to sleep, go to dog parks, and a belly rub. They are both over 10 years old, so they are used to being around people all the time, and they make our home ‘office’ great … Moose has a little chair right next to mine, and if a Zoom training with a client goes on too long, he will get in my lap, look in the camera, and try to get everything all wrapped up.”
Choice Ticketing has a Slack channel dedicated to everyone’s dogs and cats. “One member of our team has a home in the mountains of Colorado, and he sometimes has bears pop up on his outdoor camera feed! They are now also part of the ‘Choice Pets,’” Laura shares.
Yogi — Security Guard
Yogi is a 6.5-year-old Toy Fox Terrier mix who saves his sweetness for his favorite people. When he's not napping on the couch, he's busy playing fetch with his stuffed pink elephant toy, keeping things pawsitively entertaining, says mom Alexa Pressman, Ticketing Director for Stage Right Capital.
If Yogi had a job in ticketing, he would be in security “since he is very picky with who he wants to be friends with,” Alexa says. “He would only let people in with a valid ticket.”
Pooka — Customer Success
Yogi’s sister Pooka is a 5.5-year-old Goldendoodle. Alexa says she is “a happy, silly, crazy girl with a lot of energy. Her favorite things to do are cuddle and play frisbee.”
Alexa says, “Pooka would be the best customer service dog. She would make everyone smile, solve everyone's problems with kisses, and accept all the pets.”
Pooka has impressive skills outside of ticketing, too. She competes in a dog sport called UpDog Challenge. “It is a team sport with a human and dog playing a variety of games with a frisbee,” Alexa explains. “Yogi has recently gotten more interested in it, but he only likes to play in our backyard. Pooka and I compete on a global level and have qualified for the world finals three years in a row.”
While Yogi prefers to keep his frisbee game local, Pooka is taking it global, proving she’s got the ultimate fetch factor!
Andy — Greeter
Every venue needs an official greeter, and we’ve sniffed out another pup who would be a pawsitively perfect fit for this job.
Andy is a 14ish-year-old Pomeranian-Spaniel mix rescue who lives with his mom Lauren Dugan, Director of Ticketing for the Moody Center. “He is extremely friendly, very laid back, and enjoys squeaky tennis balls. While he is a senior dog, he still acts like a puppy when you have a squeaky ball.”
If Andy had a job in the ticket office, “He would be the first point of contact with anyone — the official greeter, as no one can be angry after being greeted by this most handsome and distinguished gentleman,” Lauren says. “His presence would immediately bring calmness to someone, and his cuteness would diminish any thoughts a customer had on complaining about whatever their situation may be.”
Andy dresses to the nines for work. Here he is looking truly furtastic.
Andy is a well-traveled pup, so if he ever gets tired of working as a greeter locally, he could easily join an entertainment or rock n’ roll tour. “He has probably traveled and lived in more places than many humans,” Lauren says. “He was rescued in Roanoke, Virginia, in October 2011 (happy gotcha month, Andy!) and has traveled [by car] all over the U.S. due to our moves to such states as Pennsylvania, California, Kansas, Alabama and Texas. As an extra fun fact, a week after I rescued him, I hid a ball in a blanket for him to find, and ever since that day, Andy will hide the ball in a blanket and search for it. He would entertain himself for a long time doing this.”
Sassy and Marley — Hospitality
Sassy, a plump border collie, frequently joins her mom, April Decker, the Operations Manager at Stiefel Theatre, in the office.
Her brother Marley, a mini Aussie-Corgi mix, also pops in from time to time. This is what a ruff day looks like when these two are on the job together.
According to April, if these pups worked in ticketing, they would be assigned to hospitality. “They want to spend all of their time with people. I started bringing Marley to work because of his separation anxiety. He tore up a dog crate, a couch and window screens when left home alone. My work was fine with me bringing him. And then we got Sassy. When she is feeling a little spunky, I bring her with me. They are both old dogs. Marley is 13, and Sassy is 15. They would spend their days greeting every single person who entered the building if they could. Marley has gotten to hang out with a number of the performers who have come through the theatre. He is quite popular on show days.”
April continues, “After I got Marley, the first show we had in the theater was Cheap Trick. I decided to leave him at home because it seemed like a lot to have the band and the dog. I got to work, and my boss said, ‘Where's Marley?’ I had opted to leave him at home because we had a show. She said, ‘No, you need to go get him. I told the band that you would be bringing your dog, and they are expecting to meet him!’ I went home really quickly and snagged him … I put him in the dressing room and, after a while, could hear him starting to whimper. Cheap Trick came out and asked if I would mind working from the dressing room because Marley was pretty anxious. I said sure, so I just sat on the sofa and checked my email on my phone while they were all loving on Marley and giving him treats.”
Hospitality work can be exhausting, so Marley has three cozy beds in April’s office to ensure he’s always ready to pawse for a nap when the day gets ruff.
Gravy — Human Resources
Gravy is a black cat who shares her home with brother Julian, a seven-year-old, 52-pound pit mix who we met in part one of this series. Together with brother Clark, they prove that ticketing is all about purrfect partnerships.
“She’s pretty social and runs around the house screaming at us all the time. She's a black cat, so she's very vocal,” Olivia Pearson, Client Services Specialist for SeatGeek, says. “I think she might be good with either a ticketing window job, interacting with people, or maybe even doing HR for a ticketing company … because she does get overstimulated and goes away, so maybe an office job would be better.”
Clark — Product Design
Sister Clark, on the other hand, is kind of a weird cat, Olivia says. “She doesn’t meow at all. She is quiet and likes to do her own thing. So, if I had to put Clark in a ticketing role, I think she would be doing product design or working in engineering for a ticketing company. This would be more her speed. She would just put on headphones, crank out her work and not have much face-to-face interaction.”
Otis — Customer Success Officer
This is one gorgeous Beagle “who knows how to steal the show,” says Harmony McGivney, Box Office Manager for Cape Playhouse at Hunter College.
“We live in Sunnyside, Queens, in New York, and we joke that he's the mayor of the neighborhood because he seriously rubbernecks people as we walk by for them to say hello to him. People will literally stop and say, ‘Does he want to say hello to me?’ I'll say, ‘Yes, he does, thank you very much.’ He loves attention, is very sweet, and is great with kids and other dogs. I think the greatest compliment we ever got when we first adopted him was people saying, ‘I don't want a dog, but I'd want an Otis.’”
Beagles are usually loud and rambunctious, but Otis has a quiet, chill vibe. If he wasn’t the mayor and had a job in ticketing, what would it be?
“I think he would be a customer success officer because he is so patient. He is good with people and loves working with and being around them. He is also a little bit of a ham and loves to show off.”
Otis has joined Harmony at work in the ticket office a few times. “Everybody loves when I bring him in,” she says. “But the college is quite old, so I always get scared of what he may find. He is quite a hunter.”
Harmony adds, “If anyone wants to arrange an Otis meeting during INTIX 2025 in New York, they can reach out to me.”
If you want to have an even more pawsome time while you are in town, contact Harmony to schedule an Otis meet-and-greet. He is always ready to bring some tail-wagging joy to his ticketing peers.
Poe — Ticket Office Bouncer
“Poe started at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta and now works for AXS as my assistant,” Senior Account Manager Ashley Rollins says. She describes him as “part gremlin, part goblin and mostly a French Bulldog. He's very stubborn, cuddly and playful. Definitely a Velcro dog. I can't go anywhere without my little shadow.”
Ashley says, “Poe's villain origin story is that when he was born, his parents thought he was blind. So, they gave him away to this crazy lady who works concerts for a living. Turns out, he was never blind. Poe has been a venue dog since the first day he came home with me. He started at Buckhead Theatre and has since worked at the Tabernacle and Coca Cola Roxy. He currently greets patrons with a smile and hopes for a butt scratch at Zero Mile pop-up events and is the spokesperson for AXS ticketing at business reviews.”
If Poe had a job in the ticket office, what would it be and why?
“I think Poe would be a good box office bouncer. He thinks he's way bigger than he is. So, he could chase away that difficult patron that just won't leave the window. He's also a people person, so he's great at customer service.”
Stella II — Ticket Scanner
This is Stella II’s box office, shares Abbe Karp, Patron Services and Ticketing Manager for the Austin Symphony Orchestra Society.
Stella II is a relaxed Highlander with interesting markings. She loves lounging in windows but has officially entered the catastrophic phase of her terrible twos — where knocking things off dressers has become a favorite pastime. She joined Abbe’s family after living with a co-worker for a while, likely because she wanted to move into ticketing and patron services.
What aspect of the industry would she find the most purrfect?
“I would never assign her to will call because I don’t think she’s very good at the alphabet, and I think she would get bored,” Abbe says. “I think she would be laser-focused on ticket scanning. She’s great at chasing lasers and gets the zoomies. And as a polydactyl (a cat with extra toes that resemble thumbs), she could hold the scanner a bit easier, too.”
Abbe shared that Stella makes cute squeaking noises. We can imagine her letting out an adorable squeak every time she scans a ticket, adding a little purrsonality to the job!
For those wondering, Stella II got her name after Abbe fostered another cat named Stella for three months before finding her a permanent home.
“She’s actually Stella Tutu as a little bit of an homage to my mom because my mom’s nickname to her sister and nephews is Tutu.”
Editor’s Note: That’s a wrap for part two, but the fun is far from over. We’ve got even more tail-wagging talent and feline finesse to share in part three, coming soon to INTIX Access.
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