‘Dogs Don’t Carry Cash’: Dog Treats are Free in This Frontyard Gumball Machine

By Sydney Page / The Washington Post

15:41 JST, October 11, 2024

Doug Owen works remotely from his home in East Nashville, where his desk window faces the street, giving him a perfect view of everyone walking by. He especially likes watching the dogs.

“The neighborhood is full of dogs, and they’re just beautiful. They walk back and forth all hours of the day,” said Owen, an independent contractor.

A few months ago a thought came to him as he gazed out the window: “They deserve a treat.”

Since the neighborhood pooches always brighten his day, he wanted to return the favor.

He began searching online and found an old gumball machine for sale for about $80. Perfect for small dog treats.

“It just came out of nowhere,” Owen said of the idea. “I don’t have a dog, and I don’t want a dog, but I enjoy watching people walking their dogs. And now they can give them a treat.”

Owen strapped the gumball machine to a wooden pole outside his home, bought a box of dog treats and filled the machine with them. It dispenses the goodies free with a twist of the dial, no coins required.

“All you’ve got to do is turn the handle,” Owen said, noting that about four tiny treats tumble down. “The dog treats are free because we know dogs don’t carry cash.”

In the past month since he installed it, neighbors – and especially their canine companions – have been charmed. Owen hung a sign that says: “Doug’s Dog Delights.”

“It’s a pretty cool thing to have,” said Chad Crawford, whose two rescue dogs – Penny, 7, and Sugar, 2 – have become big fans of the treat dispenser, which they pass by on their daily walks.

Crawford lives around the corner from Owen, though the two hadn’t met until recently, after Owen set up the gumball machine.

Owen said part of his motivation for putting up the dispenser was to create a conversation-starter in his community.

“I’ve done a lot of driveway talking in the last couple months,” he said, explaining that when he sees neighbors stop to take a treat for their dog, he often goes outside to greet them. “They tell me their name and their dog’s name.”

Working remotely can be isolating, Owen said, and his dog treat dispenser has been a way for him and his neighbors to socialize with both dogs and humans.

“It gets people talking,” he said.

About 15 years ago, Owen’s family dog died and he hasn’t had one since. He said having a dog is expensive and is also a commitment, and being able to mingle with neighborhood dogs is enough for now.

“There’s a dog there probably every 10 minutes,” he said. “Whatever problem or troubles you have, it lowers the blood pressure and your worries are a little less.”

Owen said dogs in the neighborhood have already designated the dispenser as a necessary part of their walk. He loves seeing them sprint toward it, stop at it, sit and wait patiently for their treat.

“The dogs know it’s there,” he said. “They’re pulling the owners toward it. It’s now a magnet.”

As soon as Kevin Patterson’s rescue pups – Lucy, 4, and Greta, 3 – get close to the gumball machine, their tails start wagging and their pace picks up.

“My dogs have gotten to know when they’re close by and they get pretty excited,” said Patterson, who has lived in the neighborhood for about six years. “We talk to other dog owners as we walk by, so it’s been pretty cool that way.”

McKenna McFadden’s 6-year-old golden retriever, Rhett, speed walks straight to the treat machine.

“We’re all getting pulled by our dogs to that location,” she said. “It’s become a little social setting, not just for the neighbors but for the dogs as well.”

While Owen assumed his dog treat dispenser would be well-received by the community, he is tickled by the attention it has gotten, particularly after it was featured in a story by NewsChannel5.

“I’m blown away,” he said, adding that he hopes he inspires people to put up their own dog treat dispensers in their neighborhoods.

Owen has already purchased two more boxes of treats and intends to continue filling the gumball machine indefinitely.

“I do not plan on stopping,” he said. “I don’t want dogs mad at me.”