Top dog

At first when new Cavalier Brigade member Joyce Dorsey heard that the canine rescue group was having trouble negotiating with major Texas cities for its annual conference, she remained silent because she didn’t “have a dog in the fight.”

But when it became clear that the national organization’s leadership was barking up the wrong tree with Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Dorsey finally heeded the urging of a Houston friend who loves to visit Granbury and rang up the Visit Granbury Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It was a game-changer for the Cavalier Brigade, an organization devoted to the gentle breed of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Instead of feeling as if they had to sit up and beg for a city to host their conference, club members found that Granbury was honored to compete for their business.

‘PROUD OF MY TOWN’

“I was so proud of my town,” said Dorsey, who was born and raised in Gran-bury and served years ago as Hood County’s district clerk.

She said she “rescued” her own Cavalier, Cooper, two years ago and recently joined the Brigade. The Granbury annual conference will be her first.

Dorsey said that the group’s leadership had grown so frustrated trying to negotiate with the larger cities that “they were even talking about going somewhere besides Texas because they just weren’t having any luck at all.”

By reaching out to Visit Granbury, Dorsey did what Director Tammy Dooley hopes other locals will do: help the local economy by promoting Granbury for their club’s/association’s big event.

“This is the best way to get new business,” Dooley said. “I think that Joyce’s event is the perfect example.”

Dorsey said that when information about the conference and photos of Granbury were posted on the closed-group’s website, “people were going berserk.”

“They’ve already filled up completely,” she said of the specially offered hotel rooms.

The contract between the city and the Cavalier Brigade was signed after several conference calls and help from tourism stakeholders, Dooley said.

The team effort resulted in the booking of 90-95 room nights at the Hilton Garden Inn for the Oct. 3-6 event.

Although the hotel typically does not allow pets, its staff made an exception for the Cavaliers because the pet owners wanted rooms next to the Lake Granbury Conference Center (LGCC).

The organization’s contract with the LGCC includes a $5,000 catering budget, Dooley said.

The club is paying deposits at both the LGCC and the Hilton Garden Inn but have been offered special rates, Dorsey said. She noted that the concessions will better enable club members to participate in the conference’s silent auction and other events designed to raise money for rescue efforts for the dog breed.

Tracy Crow, the Hilton Garden Inn’s general manager, said the hotel has always had a good relationship with Visit Gran-bury and tries to work with other hoteliers, the city and the Historic Granbury Merchants Association.

“Working together is more successful for everyone,” she said.

Dooley said the club’s leadership has promised that if any member’s spaniel is accident-prone, it will be dressed in doggie diapers for the Conference Center events.

The conference’s Saturday session will coincide with Lake Fest, the city’s free outdoor concert event at the LGCC. Dooley said it will serve as a treat for both the Cavalier members and dog-lovers in the community who will have an opportunity to see the pooches.

Ketzler’s Schnitzel-Haus and Biergarten on the square will benefit from the club’s business, Dorsey said, thanks to an outdoor patio.

She said that a special Granbury’s Ghosts and Legends Tour is planned, as well as, fittingly, a trip to the Barking Rocks Winery.

The city’s trolley will provide free transportation for the group during its stay, Dooley said.

WINNING COMBINATION

Dooley and Dorsey both used the same word to describe the efforts of those involved in landing the Cavaliers: tireless.

Dooley credited, among others, CVB Sales Manager Terri Harmon, Visit Gran-bury Event Coordinator Kristen Gibson and LGCC Operations Manager Kyle Smith.

Visit Granbury, she said, will have welcome bags for the Cavaliers, and Gibson will have a special welcome planned as well.

She said that before the group arrives from the airport via the local shuttle, Gibson will email special “welcome” signs to stakeholder partners that can be easily printed placed in windows or on counters.

“It is a great way to make groups feel welcome to town,” Dooley said. “We will be working with downtown businesses to welcome them and maybe offer doggie treats and/ or water bowls as they shop and eat around the square.”

Dooley said that local businesses are invited to be part of the “welcome process” when organizations such as the Cavaliers hold an event in Granbury.

She said that businesses can do such things as host a coffee or breakfast, or offer coupons for the welcome bags.

“The possibilities are endless,” she said.

kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 258