by Nancy Gallimore
Photos by Tulsa Botanic Garden Horticulture Staff
I was admittedly nervous. After a long corporate career and 18 years of entrepreneurship, I had not been on the applicant side of a job interview since the early ’90s. But in my not-quite-ready-for-retirement era, I really wanted this job. I was right in the middle of touting my qualifications for the position of Tulsa Botanic Garden (TBG) visitor center associate when Bo walked in. The interview was immediately put on pause.
Lindsay Ziettlow, vice president and chief operating officer at the Garden, gave our guest a warm welcome and immediately pulled some dog biscuits from her desk cabinet. “This is Bo; he’s our Garden dog,” she informed me. “Would you like to give him a biscuit?”
If you know me, you know the answer was an immediate yes. Bo, named for Botanic, stood politely by, not begging for a treat but confidently expecting one. This was clearly a routine part of his morning just as an employee might clock in for a shift.
Bo gently accepted the proffered dog bone, crunching it deliberately and cleaning up the crumbs before leaving just as quietly as he had arrived. If this fine fellow was to be one of my coworkers, I was even more certain I needed this job.
Bo’s career at TBG started more than a decade earlier in 2014 when the cinnamon-colored dog with the short wooly coat wandered onto the grounds. Young Bo was lonely and malnourished with ribs and backbone clearly visible. He quickly endeared himself to staff members and, through his own determination to stick around, became the Garden mascot.
Fortunately, everyone at TBG loves animals just as much as they love plants, so Bo was a welcome addition. The affable dog, no longer a stray, became part of the horticulture team, joining in all gardening activities during the day and keeping watch over the property when his human counterparts left for home at night.
With his alert ears and photogenic good looks, Bo found fame in social media posts promoting Garden events. He was even immortalized on limited edition merchandise displayed in the visitor center. He had shelter, good food, celebrity status and every TBG employee wrapped around his paw. What more could a dog want?
Well, the answer to that question came along in 2016 when Robert Perry started volunteering in the Garden’s Floral Terraces. According to Perry, it was mutual love at first sight. The following year, much to Bo’s delight, Perry’s volunteer work turned into a full-time position as a TBG horticulturist. And where Perry went, Bo was never far behind.
“I was working in the greenhouse one day, and a coworker noticed Bo standing beside me,” Perry reminisced. “He mentioned he had never seen the dog inside the greenhouse before, and that’s when I knew Bo had chosen me as his person.”
Bo’s daily Garden rounds with the horticulture staff continued, but always with an eye on Perry. When Perry left at the end of the workday, Bo would follow him to his car. When Perry arrived for work each morning, he would find Bo patiently waiting for him at the gate.
In February 2021, as an arctic front threatened to deliver record snow, ice and extreme cold temperatures to the area, TBG made plans to close operations for a couple of weeks. Chuck Lamson, TBG president and chief executive officer, knew special arrangements had to be made for the Garden’s MVP (most valuable pooch) during that time, so he asked Perry if he would consider taking him home.
It took little convincing for Perry to agree to a winter weather roommate and even less convincing for Bo. When Bo escorted Perry to his car at the end of that shift, he was finally invited to jump in.
Though Bo remained the TBG dog, it soon became clear he was also Perry’s. His happily-ever-after at the Garden grew even sweeter when he became a permanent member of the Perry family.
According to Garden Curator Mya Falk, Bobo, as he is affectionately known, continues to be a unique and independent dog, except when it comes to his devotion to Perry. “Bobo carries himself in a manner of pure contentment, finding pleasure in walks, dirt piles and snacks, but most importantly, in his chosen human.”
“I think it’s great for a setting like the Tulsa Botanic Garden to have pet animals; I look at it as part of our mental health program,” said Lamson. “Pets give us so much, and we look at Bo, as well as our resident cats, Linden, Percy and Paw Paw, as part of our Garden family.”
Bo is an older dog now but still spends each workday with his friends in the Garden, supervising as bulbs are planted, trees are trimmed and flowers are tended. He naps in warm mulch. He rides with alert dignity on utility vehicles.
If you wonder how my part in this story turned out, I did get the job and am happily ensconced as one of the smiling faces that welcomes visitors to the Garden. My office has the most beautiful view, and I get regular visits from a handsome redheaded coworker named Bo who knows I keep a stash of special treats just for him. Life is very good — for both of us.
