Megan Mowbray
April 25, 2006

It is a warm, sunny spring day in the Vail Valley. People are out and about, store doors are open, and dogs are everywhere. Inside and out. Next to the counter in bike shops, under a desk at an architect firm, outside a restaurant on the sidewalk.
Vail has gone to the dogs.

Frank Mitchell, owner of Moontime Cyclery in Edwards, said it just fits with the lifestyle here. Stan Humphries, owner of AEC, an engineering firm, said it’s because people just like dogs. “Most people like to see dogs. It makes a nice segue into business,” Humphries said.

Of course, not all businesses are four-legged equal opportunists. Until recently, the Home Depot in Avon was one of the few in the national franchise that allowed canine companions through its aisles. But not anymore, said Ken Willis, the supervisor of the service desk at the Avon Home Depot. “We allowed dogs until an incident,” Willis said. “People weren’t obeying the leash rule.” So now, Rover and Fido have to stay outside the home improvement store.

Smokey the Salesman Detector
Besides being a great way to attract attention into a business, dogs also provide another service to employees. “If you are having a stressful day, you can stop and pet the dog for a minute,” said Humphries. “Take him out on a beautiful day, and that’s better than a coffee break. Dogs are stress relievers because no matter what work is like they are always happy to see you.”

Dogs in the work place can also work as babysitters for a few moments. Like Houser at Moontime Cyclery. Houser is a five-year-old German Shepard and Anatolian mix, and has been hanging out at the store “since the day (Mitchell) picked him up from his mommy.” The only time Houser isn’t arounding is when the store is too crowded. Then he spends the day on the sidewalk.

Houser is a real kid-lover. “His favorite thing is kids, adults he could take or leave, but he loves children,” Mitchell said. So, while mom or dad is looking over new bikes, the kids are entertained by a friendly, large dog who wants nothing more than their attention.

“Why have a dog if you are going to leave it at home alone all day?” Mitchell said. “We have dogs and leave the doors open, that’s just what we do here.”

Sounds perfect right? Well, there are always going to be that odd person out who doesn’t like dogs. Maybe they are more of a cat person. “If someone is not a dog person, then we pass over the dog and get straight to business,” Humphries said.

Although Humphries has three dogs, only two come to the office. Smokey, a mutt, is Humphries favorite dog, but he has to stay at home. “One day a salesman came in to show us insulation. Smokey is a bit protective, and he bit the guy. Not really hard, just nipped.” So obviously, Smokey is not a fan of salesmen. “Sometimes I think I should bring him in more often,” Humphries said.

Alpo cakes
Apparently office parties with cake aren’t just for people anymore either. Julie Spinnato, an architect at Morter Architects in Vail, has had Bailey, her 5-year-old boxer, by her desk since she was a puppy. “One time, she peed on the carpet when she was little, but no one saw that,” Spinnato said.

Besides that one incident, Bailey knows she has to be professional at work. She has a bed at Spinnato’s desk, but also wanders around the office, and mingles. “She doesn’t like other dogs that much, I think she thinks she is a person, but she tolerates (dogs) at work.” And recently, the employees of Morter held a little birthday party for Bailey, with an Alpo cake and all. Talk about your office party.

Think that’s strange? The owners used to bring their pot-bellied pig to work, until she got too big and ate a few models. Now it’s just Blossom, their basset hound.

A good rule of thumb, if an animal is going to eat your work, leave it at home. Also, when it comes to dogs, learn when to give it up. “Some people just don’t know that if a dog doesn’t want you to touch him, then you shouldn’t keep trying,” Mitchell said. Morter Architects makes adjustments for those people who just aren’t into dogs. “If a client comes in who doesn’t like dogs, we keep (the dogs) out of the conference room,” Spinnato said.

Finally, what about barking, shedding, and drooling? “We want our employees to know that bringing a dog to work is a privilege, not a right,” Humphries said. “We make sure the dog doesn’t bark, or isn’t too disruptive. But occasionally they will poke in the trash and pull out tissues, that’s glorious. And sometimes they will bark down the hall, but they are dogs, by gosh.”

Megan Mowbray is a regular contributor to The Vail Trail. She can be reached at vtintern@vailtrail.com.