Office security 2.0

They say dog is man's best friend.

When it comes to Columbia Restaurant Group President Richard Gonzmart, you could say he is his dogs' best friend.

Anytime you see Gonzmart these days, you can expect to see Rex and Rusty, his bushy red German shepherds. Gonzmart takes the two dogs to work and most other places.

They regularly attend his business meetings, including those with Beck construction, which is designing and building the company's newest restaurant concept, Ulele, on the Hillsborough River.

The pooches are friendly but intimidating, Gonzmart says on a recent tour of the Ulele site, the former Tampa Heights Waters Work brick building.

Some people balk at the dogs' presence. Beck's Randall Reid emailed a photo of Rusty and Rex in the company's lobby to his coworkers, with the message: “If I was you guys, I'd listen to Richard.”

People's caution toward the dogs is justified. Rusty is Gonzmart's bodyguard. He attacks on command or if Gonzmart is threatened.

Gonzmart is so fond of his four-pawed friends, he named a Bordeaux blend wine Rusty Red after them. Later this month, the Columbia will introduce the Enzi, a California chablis named after Gonzmart's daughter's German shepherd.