Bringing home the bacon: Pets work their tails off in local businesses

Editor's Note: This story was originally featured in the May edition of Chatter Magazine, a Times Free Press publication.

Like many hardworking Chattanoogans, Bob Barker lives for the little perks of his day job, mundane as they may be.

He savors the drive into his little neighborhood antique shop each morning, adores opportunities to meet new people who wander in throughout the day and looks forward to closing time each evening, when he heads out to the park to catch up with the guys.

On paper, Barker is no different from the rest of the city's workforce - if you can overlook the four legs, tail and curly white fur, that is. And even then, employees with these particular attributes are more common in Chattanooga than you might think.

All across the city, pets like Barker are working their tails off alongside the owners of local business establishments. These industrious cats and dogs add color, laughter and warmth to the workplace, and each pet owner has noticed the same thing:

"People come in just to see him!" says Bliss Causby, owner of antique and stationery shop Bob Barker, which bears her poodle's name. "He brings joy to people that come in."

Throughout the following pages, we'll introduce you to some of Chattanooga's friendliest (and furriest) employees, all of whom are bringing home the bacon with their K9-to-5s.

HELLO, MY NAME IS ROXIE

Left: Dayle May owners David Tessmann and his mother, Jerry Tessmann, pose with their office dogs, Clara Belle, right, and Noel

The staff at Fischer Evans Jewelers has seen it happen at least a dozen of times before.

A customer will walk in, looking a little apprehensive, and peek at the vast selection of gold and silver accessories, visibly unsure.

Sometimes it's a timid boyfriend looking for the ring that will make her say "Yes!" Other times, it's a shy couple searching for the bands that will embody their commitment. But every time, the significance of their decision weighs heavily on their shoulders, and it shows through the gravity on their faces and the burden in their body language.

Until they meet Roxie.

When the golden retriever comes trotting up to new arrivals with her leash hanging out of her mouth, she always knows just what to do. She stares up at them with eyes that seem to say, "Do you want to be my friend?" and immediately, all the pressure of making big life choices in a high-end establishment melts away.

"People just automatically start petting her and it just kind of changes their face, changes their attitude and they're way more relaxed," says Nicole Lampru, Fischer Evans director of marketing.

Oftentimes, guests start sharing stories about their own dogs, and soon, stark conversations become more intimate, the tense environment becomes more laid-back, and nervous customers become comfortable enough to find the perfect piece.

To say Fischer Evans Vice President Clarke Glover hit the jackpot when he found Roxie would be a bit of an understatement. Glover, whose family has run Fischer Evans for the last 46 years, had always wanted a pet with the right temperament for the workplace, but he could never seem to find one with the "shop dog mentality." Each furry companion he'd had throughout the years was either too restless or too hyper to behave around customers, but Roxie was different.

Growing up in the company of Glover's 1-year-old daughter, who used to sneak into the dog's kennel so the two could eat meals together, Roxie learned to be gentle. Roxie is remarkably tranquil around children who visit the store with their parents, remaining calm even while they are rolling on top of her, and she has made it her duty to keep the little ones entertained while the adults talk business.

Even when there are no customers to calm or children to chaperone, Roxie's easy-going personality and friendly disposition still have an indirect effect on the shopping experience. When she goes in to work each morning, Roxie runs to greet whomever is on staff, delivering a burst of energy to start the day, and as stressors arise throughout the afternoon, she serves as a much-needed outlet to keep everyone relaxed.

"And if we're more relaxed, that's going to translate into us being more relaxed with our customers," Glover says.

She may not make sales or do repairs, but Roxie's role at Fischer Evans is an important one, says Glover. With her help, he explains, the store is able to cultivate an atmosphere where shoppers feel comfortable enough to look around, just say "hi" or meet the dog that was his dream come true.

"We don't force her on anyone," Glover says.

"She forces herself," Lampru laughs, cupping Roxie's face and verbalizing what those big, brown eyes say to each new person who walks through the jeweler's doors. "You are going to love me.'"

HELLO, MY NAME IS STROHLER

Strohler plays with a feather at Flowers by Gil and Curt on Tremont Street.

Juliette the cat

If you're planning to find your next floral arrangement at Flowers By Gil & Curt - beware!

Customers who visit the flower shop in search of a sweet surprise for a loved one often find their hearts stolen by Strohler, the florist's ever-present guardian and master of mischief.

Since being left in a box at the front of the shop on Christmas Eve 11 years ago, the nimble feline has had a propensity for tight spaces. Any patron who leaves a box, bag or container of any kind laying around the store will return to find it occupied by a mound of gray and white fur and two green eyes.

"If it's on the counter for more than a minute, he's in it," chuckles store co-owner Curt Hodge. "He's quite a character."

The kitten was a gift from Dennis and Connie Stohler, friends of Hodge and partner Gil Cartwright who thought the duo needed cheering up after the passing of their previous cat, Morris. Cartwright decided to name their new friend "Strohler" - a playful jab at Connie, whose abundance of children kept her eternally sporting a stroller - and the cat has been a gift to all who visit ever since.

He often lies on the front counter, waiting to greet newcomers and scanning for uninhabited boxes, and even those who aren't partial to cats are quickly smitten by him because he is outgoing and loves to meet new people (and their packages).

But life at the store isn't all fun and games. When Strohler isn't being lured into the pockets of an abandoned purse, he is hard at work.

He tears open boxes holding vases that need to be unpacked, boosts morale with amusing stunts when stress levels are high, and even draws new customers into the store. During the Riverbend Festival each June, for example, he follows the crowds of people flocking toward the music stages by jumping from one window to the next.

"A lot of people come in and say, 'We want to meet that cat. We see him every night,'" Hodge says.

Though Strohler is still perfecting his consulting skills - he can often be found on the table giving his two cents during bridal consultations - he truly shines as the flower shop's first line of defense. He defends the store from unscrupulous dogs who dare to roam near his domain (from behind the window, of course), and protects the staff from shady characters like the few who have stumbled in after knocking back one too many beers.

"There was a man who came in here that was questionable," receptionist Anne Hannah remembers. "[Strohler] got right between me and him and got as big as he could get."

Bold as Strohler is, however, he also has a soft side. When those in mourning visit the store in search of floral arrangements for a funeral, Strohler ignores the boxes and bags to bring comfort however he can. He'll stand next to them as they make their decisions, purr to offer his support, and has even been known to pet visitors' hands to express his condolences.

"He can just sense when people need comfort," Hannah says.

With his playfulness, warmth and almost human-like empathy, Strohler has become more than just the flower shop's work pet. He has become its heart.

HELLO, MY NAME IS SAM

The spunky Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix who patrols SGO Designer Glass of Chattanooga may only have three legs, but don't let that fool you. He is just as capable in the workplace as any four-legged dog — and he'll go out of his way to prove it to you.

Anoush the dog

The spunky Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix who patrols SGO Designer Glass of Chattanooga may only have three legs, but don't let that fool you. He is just as capable in the workplace as any four-legged dog - and he'll go out of his way to prove it to you.

When shop and pet owner Ethan Moore heard his dog, Sam, scraping the floor beside his bed at 4 a.m. five months ago, he knew something was wrong. The pup would usually hop onto a chair or climb atop the mattress after returning home from one of his late-night adventures. But when Moore flicked on the lights and squinted down at his dog's right front leg, he could see that this night was going to be different.

"He just had a dangling mess of crushed-up bone," Moore remembers.

Sam had been struck by a car, Moore would later discover, and an emergency trip to the vet made it clear that if Sam was going to stay, the leg would have to go.

Since then, Sam has changed, Moore says. When he first found Sam at the Rhea County Animal Shelter, the dog was suffering from separation anxiety. He cried and squealed whenever he was left alone, so much so that the shelter's staff had started keeping him in the office instead of his cage. Sam's anxiety persisted even after adoption, and Moore began bringing him to work, where the reserved pup trailed behind his owner devotedly but kept mostly to himself.

Though still terrified of being abandoned, Sam has become more protective and outgoing since the accident. Now, when clients walk into the decorative-glass studio, he barks to alert Moore of their presence, and darts up to give them a once-over, conducting a brief pat-down search of their shins with his single front paw. Once visitors pass his inspection, he quiets down, disappears, then returns with a tennis ball in his mouth, begging the newcomers for a quick game of fetch.

The new behavior came as an odd surprise to Moore, who had grown used to the dog's introverted ways, but for many guests, the unusual greeting has served as a welcome source of amusement.

So why the sudden change? The store owner says your guess is as good as his - though his guess is pretty impressive.

When dogs are in a pack, Moore explains, each one has a role. Some lead, some hunt, some help to ease tension. Since Sam, like all dogs, has that innate desire for purpose, Moore believes he may have begun to lean more heavily on previously underutilized skills, allowing him to serve a function despite his disability.

"So he can at least bark and let somebody know that there's somebody here," Moore says.

Though his role at SGO is a small one, Sam's adaptability and desire to help have made him such a unique part of the workplace.

"He's a good dog," Moore says as he hoists the pup onto his lap. "Everybody should bring a dog to work."

Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.