ATM's for doggos? Oh, why not?

Today is election day in Boston. It's pretty much a yawner. Our mayor, Michelle Wu, trounced her main opponent in the primary. And I do mean trounced. Josh Kraft's amazingly inept campaign spent over $15M, including over $5M of his own money - his own by way of Daddy Bigbucks Robert Kraft, owner of the N.E. Patriots - and limped away with 23% of the vote vs. 72% for Wu. Kraft spend $262 for each vote he got; Wu's campaign spent less than $17 per vote. 

Kraft, at least, had the good sense to drop out of the race, and thus Wu is running unopposed.

The race for the at-large city councillor spots are a bit contested. But for the most part, this municipal election is nada mas.

So since there's no nailbiting going on - wait until next November for that, should we live so long and/or still have elections - attention can be paid to lesser matters. 

And for today, that lesser matter is that TD Bank has recently  introduced an Automated Treat Machine for dogs to Boston. They debuted the concept last year in Philadelphia, exported it last spring to Toronto, and have now brought it to Boston. And why not? We are, after all, the Hub of the Universe. Or at the very least, the Hub of Our Universe.  

(And it you're wondering how dog ATMs tie, however tangentially, to our mayoral election: Josh Kraft spent a ton of money on that election, unmaking bank, as it were. Money: bank. Truly, there is no topic on the face of god's green earth - and green, by the way, is TD Bank's color - that is more than six degrees of separation from Pink Slip.)

So, onto the doggo ATMs:

The machines, which resemble normal ATMs, are fitted with paw-print mats and motion sensors, according to the bank. When a dog approaches, the device drops a free treat into a metal bowl.

Bank officials said the machines are meant to make branches more welcoming for customers who bring their dogs along...

“Whether your four-legged friend is keeping you company on your errands, or is a service animal supporting you throughout your day, we want to show appreciation to the canine loved ones of our customers,” Tyrrell Schmidt, chief marketing officer of TD Bank Group, said in a release last year. (Source: The Boston Globe)

Awwwww... (Or is it arfffffff?)

As a big fan of dogs, I think that this is wonderful idea. 

I don't know whether it's going to do much of anything for TD Bank's bottom line. Or even its top line. But in a world of unrelenting rotten news, why not a bit of furry friend pooch fluff?

Inevitably, the critics came out in the comments section of the Globe article, bitching (hah!) that the bank shouldn't be wasting depositor money on "stupid publicity stunts." Complainers - and I'm guessing most of the commenters with a gripe aren't even TD Bank customers - want more branches, longer hours, higher interest rates of savings... 

Yes, indeed, not spending a few bucks on an ATM for dogs would naturally translate into more branches, longer hours, higher interest paid on savings accounts. NOT! No one enjoys complaining more than I do, but these comments bite. Commenters are probably cat people.

Anyway, Boston's canine ATM opened a month ago at a TD Bank outlet a short walk from my house. So although I'm not a TD Bank customer, I did check it out. Alas, there were no pups there taking advantage of the treat machine. Still, what a cute idea. A number of shops in town have water bowls out for dogs, and many also hand out treats. But as far as I know, this is the only place in town where treats for dogs are automatically dispensed.

ATM's for doggos? Oh, why not? Perhaps if Josh Kraft had included it in his platform, he'd have received a few more votes. 

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Image Source: Philadelphia Inquirer