A golden retriever in East Nashville has turned a residential fence into the neighborhood’s most unexpected gathering spot. Beanz sticks his head through custom-built frames along his yard’s perimeter, greeting anyone who walks by on Chapel Avenue.
His owners installed the colorful openings specifically so their dog could do what golden retrievers do best: say hello to everyone.
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The August Discovery
Caroline Clark spotted the setup last August while walking to Butterlamp, a wine bar near the corner of Chapel and Greenwood. Bright signs reading “BEANZ” marked several spots along the fence. Clark thought someone was advertising a garden.
Then a golden retriever’s face appeared through one of the frames.
“They had a lot of really lovely landscaping, and as I was admiring that, Beanz popped out of nowhere,” Clark told Newsweek. “It all came together that his owners were giving him the opportunity to be social.”
Clark stopped, even though she was running late. She spent several minutes petting Beanz and taking in what she’d found. Before leaving, she filmed the encounter and posted it to TikTok.
A Video That Traveled
The clip racked up 272,000 views and 52,000 likes within days. Comments came from locals who already knew about Beanz and visitors planning trips to Nashville who wanted to meet him.
“Wait I’ll be in Nashville next weekend, where do I find Beanz!” one person wrote.
Another commented: “This is a tourist trap I can get behind!”
Clark called him “an angel” and described watching him interact with people. “Since posting, so many neighbors have shared how much they love Beanz too and walk by just to say hi,” she said.
The owners haven’t publicly identified themselves, keeping Beanz as the main attraction rather than seeking attention for the idea.
How the Fence Works
The design is straightforward. Multiple frames sit at intervals along the property line, each positioned at the right height for a golden retriever. Beanz can poke his head through, get pets from passersby, and stay safely in his yard.
The frames have colorful borders and clear labeling so people know what they’re for. The property sits in Eastwood Village, a redeveloped church complex from the 1850s that now holds apartments, cafes, and small businesses.
What the setup provides:
- Safe interaction for the dog
- Predictable spots for neighbors to find him
- Clear boundaries between private property and sidewalk
- A reason for people to walk that route
Beanz appears at the fence throughout the day, though not on any set schedule. Some neighbors have made it part of their regular walking route.
Five Months Later
In the months since Clark’s video, Beanz has settled into life as an East Nashville fixture. Locals mention him in neighborhood social media groups. Visitors ask about him at nearby businesses.
Clark said the response confirmed what she suspected: people want these small interactions. “Everyone is obsessed. Some are locals who are hoping to find him, and others are considering finding him when they travel into town.”
The story spread beyond Nashville through UK pet news sites and gardening blogs, though most coverage traces back to the original Newsweek interview from August 12, 2025.
No local news stations picked it up. No follow-up features appeared in Nashville publications. Beanz exists in that space between internet famous and genuinely local, known well enough that mentioning “the dog with the fence frames” gets nods of recognition in Eastwood.
Why It Caught On
The Beanz fence works because it solves a specific problem. Many dog owners want their pets to be social. Most fences prevent that. These owners found a middle ground.
Golden retrievers were bred to retrieve game for hunters, but modern owners value their friendly temperament more than their working ability. A golden who can’t greet people is a golden with unmet needs. Beanz gets to do what his genetics push him toward, just in a controlled way.
The setup also taps into something pedestrians want. Walking past a yard and getting to pet a dog feels like a bonus, a small good thing in an ordinary day. The frames make it reliable rather than random.
Finding Beanz
The fence sits somewhere near Butterlamp Bread & Beverage at 1101 Chapel Avenue in the Eastwood neighborhood. The exact address hasn’t been published, likely to prevent the yard from becoming overwhelmed.
Chapel Avenue runs through a walkable section of East Nashville where historic homes mix with newer construction. Eastwood Village anchors one end, a collection of renovated church buildings that developer Vintage South converted starting in 2019.
Butterlamp opened in August 2024 as a wine bar and bread house. Owners Benjamin and Katie Rose Tyson named it after butter lamps they lit during their honeymoon in Bhutan. The New York Times included it on their list of best Nashville restaurants.
People walking from surrounding streets to Butterlamp pass through the area where Beanz lives. That foot traffic gives him plenty of opportunities to meet new people.
What Happens Next
Clark told Newsweek in August that she’d be looking for Beanz every time she visited the area. Five months later, he’s still there, still greeting people through his fence.
The owners haven’t expanded the concept or sought media attention. They built something for their dog that happened to resonate with their neighborhood. Whether Beanz becomes a permanent East Nashville landmark or fades as internet attention moves on depends partly on him and partly on whether the setup keeps working for everyone involved.
For now, a golden retriever in Eastwood has what he wants: a steady stream of people to say hello to, all from the safety of his own yard. And neighbors have a reliable spot to get their dog fix, marked clearly with colorful frames and a simple name: Beanz.
