New Employee!
If you are among the many who have been coming to us for a while, you will certainly recognize this face. For those who are newer, this is Louise. She is a 9 year old mutt who looks like a black lab, we don’t know what all she is mixed with though. Around Christmas last year we lost her brother Howard to cancer, and the house hasn’t been the same since. She is quite an anxious girl when left to her own devices. So she will be working part time at the store!
As far as actually helping goes, that is up for interpretation. She will bark when anyone comes in and cry when someone leaves, so we don’t need a bell on the door. After the first minute that you’re here, she will all but ignore everyone (including us). She blends in really well with the black floor pads and rugs that we have, and will sometimes lay right in the middle of the store. Usually she’s in her bed behind the counter or following me around.
If you are nervous around dogs or have allergies, please let us know when you schedule an appointment or call ahead. We can easily accommodate! Louise has a loud mouth when people first come in, but will usually stay behind the counter and yell her head off for a minute. She is unsure of new people, but will not come up to you (she might if you have treats). She may come up and smell your hand, but will back away as soon as you try to pet her. For better or for worse, she is the complete opposite of how her brother was.
This is Howard, and believe it or not, he and Louise were litter mates. Sadly, he never got the chance to come to our store and experience the culmination of our dreams coming true. This guy would have definatley been a liability at the store, but not for the reason most would think. He was a useless guard dog who loved everyone and everything around him, and his curiosity knew no bounds. He always wanted to know what everybody was working on, and he thought he could help. But he had no idea how big he was. One hundred pounds of head, chest, and butt. He would never kill with kindness, but he might have hurt someone with it.
He was Louise’s companion at the house when everyone was out (who knows what they got up to when we were gone). Losing him was a turning point for all of us, he held the status quo. So now we are doing everything we can to make sure his sister is never alone, which means she had to get a part time job at a quilting company! We hope our dog loving friends can come meet her soon!
-Patrick