Dumbledore is my little friend. He comes to work with me every day, and he loves to greet all the customers. He never, ever bites, but he will try to kiss you if your face is in reach. Also, in the summer-time, if you are wearing open-toed shoes, your toes are fair game - it's puppy-pedicure time!
Dumbledore is a Yorkshire Terrier with a very silky coat. His hair is so smooth, he doesn't even need to be brushed every day. If his coat were more cottony, we'd keep him in a short "puppy coat" style, but since his coat is so low maintenance, we can enjoy the lovely way his hair swishes when he moves. He's groomed by Nancy of Handsome Hounds, who comes to the store with her mobile grooming salon, and makes Dumble gorgeous right here in our parking lot. I love the way he looks when she's done with him, and he's always glad to see her.
The only time he barks here in the store is when someone is outside and doesn't come in! It offends his sensibilities if they don't want to visit him - he thinks it's his due.
He likes to nap on the couch in my office, or in his puppy playpen in the Creative Studio. It's a lot like a regular playpen but it has a zip open door. He keeps his toys in there and naps in it when he gets tired from chasing after kids around the store. Every once in a while a child comes in who is nervous of dogs and we zip the door shut so he can't get out.
He almost never tries to run out the door, but every so often, if he needs to piddle, he makes a run for it. We have to make sure we pay attention when he tries to tell us he needs to go out.
His favorite toys are his "dead duck" (it looks like a rubber chicken but has a bill and webbed feet), and his lizard. He's had the dead duck for a long time, and it's still in one piece. It squeaks and makes a floppity sound when you shake it, and bounces a little when you throw it. It's his favorite fetching toy, and it's good for chewing too. The lizard is fuzzy and filled with something crinkly and a squeaker. It's really great for tug-of-war and makes a wonderful noise when you shake it. Dumble loves to hunt down his toys, pounce, then shake them until they are dead. Of course, the job is never quite done, so the process repeats endlessly.
When you are scrapping in the Creative Studio you have to watch what you leave on the floor (or drop). He's been known to run off with the crinkly wrapper of a set of embellishments (to shake it until it's dead, of course!) As he runs away with his prize, he grins with glee! But as soon as I say, "give it to Mommy" he drops it in expectation of a treat.
He's very motivated by treats. He will do anything for one, but he has to see the treat before he will perform. He will sit, stand, give you his paw, and lie down. He'll come when you call (if what he's doing is not too distracting,) and he'll put his nose into his harness if there is a treat on the other side.
Kids who come to visit the store love Dumble. Some of them detour Mom from a trip to Shop Rite or Bob's in order to say hello. My favorite moment was hearing a little voice pipe up with "He is here!" when he ambled out of my office.
He's very good company and can frequently be found on my lap while I work and craft. We're so glad he joined our family.
Dumble's Dogster Page
