It's hard to picture a dog sitting behind bars at a shelter as a future member of your family, so a rescue in North Carolina is taking a new approach.
The Charlie's Angels rescue in Asheville, N.C., sends one puppy at a time to work as a greeter at a local pet-friendly hotel. Most pups don't greet for long before they are adopted.
"Some dogs last an hour and a half. Some dogs last a little longer and it's just amazing," Kim Smith, who works at Charlie's Angels rescue, told NBC News.
When a volunteer from the rescue and a hotel worker met about six months ago on a plane they came up with the idea for adoptable dog greeters. The rescue volunteer said not enough dogs were being adopted and the hotel worker pointed out that the hotel was pet friendly. It sounded like the perfect plan.
So far 20 dogs have been adopted by hotel visitors.
When guests wish to adopt a dog greeting at the hotel it's not an immediate process. Potential adopters have to go through an application process and waiting period to ensure they are really serious about taking care of a new family member.