With innovations like "pup cups" at coffee shops and dog-friendly menus at restaurants, pets are becoming more and more integrated into daily human life. Now, dogs in Philly can even participate in the ever-thrilling activity of withdrawing from an ATM.
TD Bank's South Philly location, at 2201 S. Broad St., has debuted a dog ATM — which stands for Automated Treat Machine because it dispenses free biscuits to furry friends.
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To operate the machine, the doggie bankgoer must simply approach the ATM — which looks like an adorable mini version of a human TD Bank ATM, with a screen and keypad and all — and step on the puppy paw mat, which is armed with motion detectors. Then, voila! The free treat will be dispensed into a metal bowl for the pup to enjoy.
"At TD, we are constantly innovating and evolving — not only to improve the customer experience and meet their financial needs in the ways that are most convenient for them, but to connect our communities in fun ways," said Rick Carrion, TD Bank's retail market manager for Philadelphia. "(The Dog ATM) is another example of our unique approach to the customer experience and adds a distinctive touch to our dog-friendly brand."
TD is referring to the new offering as "Unexpectedly Canine," a play on the bank's "Unexpectedly Human" campaign. Along with free treats from the ATM, TD Bank guests can also fetch their pets free dog bandanas. TD encourages dog owners to post photos of their pups wearing the bandanas with the hashtag #UnexpectedlyCanine.
The dog ATM is the first of its kind, according to TD Bank, and is only available at the South Philly location so far. (All TD locations are dog-friendly, so perhaps more will roll out in the future.)
TD opened the dog ATM last month, and since then the South Broad store manager Bianca Otero said there has already been "much interest" in the new machine and "quite a few happy four-legged customers."
To celebrate the opening of the dog ATM, TD has partnered with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to host an adoption event at the South Broad TD location on Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. TD is also donating $5,000 to PAWS.
Now, if only we can get some ATMs that dispense free money to humans!
