Meet Sheldon, The Barktender Serving Seniors

Blame Matt Swaney for his workplace going to … you know. Swaney, 36, is the marketing manager at Waltonwood Providence, a large senior living community south of Charlotte. In February, Swaney and two of his marketing co-workers, Cara Nirenberg and Sarah Bailey, were casting around for something to do for Waltonwood’s annual campaign, “Clear the Shelter Day,” a national partnership with the Humane Society and NBCUniversal to help people foster and adopt animals. 

Someone said, “Matt’s handy—let’s do something for the dogs.” Swaney isn’t much of a drinker, but Nirenberg’s husband works for a liquor distributor. The idea of a dog-based happy hour seemed like a logical thing to do. Swaney is always ready to build something, and he has a trusty companion: his 6-year-old cockapoo, Sheldon. 

Faster than you can fetch a hammer, Swaney had built the Bark Bar, a watering hole where people at Waltonwood can stop by—with or without their pets—for a treat and a drink, usually a light cocktail like a Hugo Spritzer with prosecco and St-Germain liqueur. The facility hosts happy hours at the Bark Bar a couple of times a week, including a featured drink, a charcuterie board for humans, and a “bark-cuterie” spread of dog treats. Sheldon has been named Waltonwood’s official Barktender, and Swaney has added a doghouse-shaped bin to collect donations of pet supplies for the Humane Society of Charlotte.  

Matt built the Bark Bar, which employs Sheldon as its “Barktender.” Tips are appreciated.

Barktender is a job that suits the laid-back pup. During the pandemic, Swaney started taking Sheldon along occasionally while he worked for a memory-care facility. When he came to work for Waltonwood a few years ago, Sheldon started making appearances there, too. 

“He had that natural aptitude,” Swaney says. “It’s amazing to see people light up. I enjoy it, and he enjoys it.”

Swaney had a cocker spaniel when he was a kid, but Sheldon is his first dog as an adult. His mother lives in upstate New York and had a neighbor who bred cockapoos. When Sheldon was 6 months old, Swaney’s mother sent him a Fourth of July picture of Sheldon, and it was love at first sight. Swaney isn’t married, and Sheldon is his constant companion. They even go camping and hiking together. 

“He’s always up front, like a co-pilot,” Swaney says. “He likes a good squirrel hunt.”

Waltonwood’s Clear the Shelter campaigns are active in all 12 of its communities in three states. Besides collecting donations, the program also waives the pet fee for residents who want to keep an animal. Adoptions and foster-pet arrangements have to be cleared with family members. 

Waltonwood has a pet-friendly policy for its residents. It even has an on-site off-leash dog park. Like a lot of senior programs, they’ve learned that animals, particularly dogs and cats, offer real benefits for older people. One 2017 study of geriatric populations in Italy found that interaction with animals not only reduces mood disorders like anxiety and depression, it also stimulates cognitive function. Studies also show a benefit for nursing home staff members when therapy animals are present. 

Residents aren’t the only people who have benefited from the Bark Bar. Sheldon’s visits have helped Swaney’s co-worker, Cara Nirenberg, who had been afraid of dogs since childhood. But she discovered she was so comfortable with Sheldon that her family has now adopted their own dog: Sheldon’s half-brother, Oliver. 

“This dog and Matt have changed my life,” she says. “I never understood the love (of dogs) and what it means.”