runs like any other coffee shop: patrons come in, order chai lattes and slices of poppyseed cake, then sit down to read a book, chat with a friend, or type away on their laptops. But on any given day at this cozy space in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, the northernmost town in the world, there are also a couple friendly dogs lounging around.

The dog cafe opened in April on the remote, Norwegian-governed archipelago surrounded by the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. Four Norwegian transplants who all worked together at a Longyearbyen hotel鈥擬artin Fiala, Nicola Bunyan, Iris Dahle Bj酶rkmann, and Kristina Labunskaite鈥攐pened the business to create a homey environment for locals and visitors, who come with the hope of seeing polar bears and the northern lights.

A rotating crew of local dogs鈥攑ets聽that belong to staffers, friends, friends of friends, former colleagues, and other residents鈥斺�渨ork鈥� several shifts a week. Their entire job is to bring joy to patrons and create a living room vibe at the cafe. After their human parents drop them off, the pups hang out, alternating between several dog beds, couches, and the floor. They鈥檙e also in hot demand for Instagram photos.

Like many good ideas, Caf茅 Huskies started as a joke over beers. A few years ago, Fiala read about cat cafes opening up around the world. But cats are to prevent the spread of disease and protect local wildlife, so he made an off-hand comment about adapting the concept to dogs. Longyearbyen is home to many dog-sledding companies that lead tours across the Arctic tundra, and travelers seem to really love the huskies on those trips, so the concept felt on-brand.

鈥淚 said, 鈥楪ee, someone should open a husky cafe. That would be really popular,鈥欌�� says Fiala. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a ridiculous idea. But then I thought about it and decided that it would definitely work.鈥�

At the same time, Bunyan and Labunskaite were also considering opening a boutique to sell the creations of local artists, such as photography prints, knitted items, illustrations, and knick-knacks made from reindeer antlers. When a centrally-located retail space came up for rent, the friends took it as a sign to combine their visions and make them a reality. Bj酶rkmann, who is from mainland Norway and could help with all the startup paperwork written in Norwegian, also joined in.

They quickly spruced up the space, ordered equipment, and began recruiting dogs to spend time at the cafe.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have all these dogs ourselves, so we had to figure something out,鈥� says Fiala. 鈥淏asically, we鈥檝e asked friends or colleagues who have dogs if they鈥檇 like to bring them in as a kind of dog socializing spot and that鈥檚 worked OK so far.鈥�

With a few four-legged volunteers, they began pairing various pets together to see who got along and who didn鈥檛. From those interactions, they鈥檝e crafted a special dog schedule that ensures there鈥檚 always one or, ideally, two chummy dogs relaxing at the cafe at any given time. (Because the cafe dogs all have different personalities and tendencies, general customers are not allowed to bring their pets on the premises.)

Whenever he鈥檚 scheduled to work, Clooney鈥攁 long, lanky, white and gray husky鈥攕erves as the official greeter, calmly accepting pats and rubs as customers walk through the front door. There are also DJ and Eminem, two elderly retired sled dogs known for sleeping on the job, as well as Jersey, a sweet female with piercing blue eyes. Tequila, a cheery, all-white five-year-old just had her first litter of puppies. And Stuka, Jeti, Fox, Brun, Gandhi, Thando, Nemi, and R2-D2 also pick up shifts from time to time.

It鈥檚 a loose arrangement just for fun in which no money exchanges hands: the pups get plenty of treats, lots of affection and stimulation, and regular walks during each shift. Their humans, meanwhile, get to pick up tired, happy dogs at the end of the day, as well as free coffee and food whenever they come in. Customers can enjoy a few hours of dog-induced contentment.

鈥淲e created this really nice, cozy vibe because that鈥檚 what we like鈥攚e wanted to make this type of place for ourselves and share it with everyone,鈥� says Bunyan. 鈥淲e want people to feel at home.鈥�

The post You Can Hang Out with Huskies at This Caf茅 in the World鈥檚 Northernmost Town appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.