NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's the dog days of summer.
Literally. Whether it's summer, winter, spring, or fall, you're almost always guaranteed to see a bunch of pups roaming around a Nashville independent bookstore.
"It's a great place to come and hang out and pet a dog," said Ann Patchett, the owner of Parnassus Books in Green Hills.
Patchett has a full staff — both people and pups.
"We just call it the shop dogs," she said. "And we have a lot of posts on social media about what the dogs are doing, what the shop dogs are reading, the books they enjoy."
There could be anywhere from four to six dogs roaming around any given day. The dogs belong to the staff. Patchett says this is a dog-friendly bookstore.
"You can just come here and hang out," she said. "And the dogs are part of that because people like to come in and just pet a dog for a little while."
Customers can bring their dogs too. Patchett also mentioned the calm, soothing aspect of dogs in a bookstore.
"Kids like to read to the dogs," she said.
She knows not all dogs would be the best fit as a shop dog. Of course, they have to be friendly and know to stay inside with the door constantly opening and closing.
"And it's such a relief when you think, okay, I know you're cute and I know you're sweet, but are you going to be good in the store?" she said. "And then you find out that that dog is good in the store."
Parnassus Books is at 3900 Hillsboro Pike in Nashville.
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