BY Katherine Wyrick Photography brian chilson
shop dogs (n.) A feature profiling our canine friends in retail. (Not just limited to dogs. Other species—cats, canaries, lizards—will appear here, too.)
Warning: Garden dog on duty
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Greeting customers at Botanica Gardens Going to US Bank in the Heights
Riding in the car Watching TV Playing with his best buddy, Scout Snuggling
Botanica’s bright-eyed Brussels Griffon
very morning, the air outside Botanica Gardens is redolent with bacon as neighboring Buffalo Grill preps for the day. There is, perhaps, no one who appreciates this more than Pat Isbell’s dog, Izzy, a two-year-old Brussels Griffon. Isbell, store manager of Botanica, tells us that the smell, though he loves it, nearly drives poor Izzy to distraction. He’s like Tantalus—the fruit right before him but forever out of reach. Long-legged as a side table and bearded like Freud, Izzy emerges from behind the counter with his head cocked inquisitively and his docked tail wagging. He possesses at least two traits that make for a superlative shop dog; he has a sweet disposition and rarely barks. Like garden statuary, Izzy often sits poised on the counter while awaiting his public. “I have customers who come by just to see him after they have lunch. It’s not uncommon for some to even bring their friends to see him. And our bank has actually unlocked the doors before they open if we come by. It’s hysterical,” says Pat. She recalls how when Izzy was a pup, Botanica owner Chris Olsen would sit at
Izzy’s favorite things...
Running really fast
his drawing table in the morning with Izzy zipped up inside his jacket. It’s safe to say he’s a snuggler—and an extrovert. “He’ll go home with anybody,” says Pat with a wave of her hand. “He’s the most loving dog.” So averse is he to being alone, Izzy even comes down to work when Pat goes out of town. Should he ever stray from the shop, however, the staff knows the protocol— and where to find him. “If he goes missing, we’re on lockdown,” explains a co-worker. She relates a time that Izzy went missing only to be found later at the Cross-eyed Pig, a barbecue place a few doors down. (What? He was just getting take-out.) When not at the shop (or dining at the Cross-eyed Pig), Izzy enjoys watching TV and charging at the screen when dogs appear. “He knows the commercials!” Pat laughs. At the moment, however, he’s watching his adoring owner. “Say, ‘I have the prettiest eyelashes you’ve ever seen!’ Yes, I do!” she coos. And, yes, we have to agree, he does; they’re long and lush as a diary cow’s. But when he coyly bats those lashes your way, don’t think for a minute you’re his one and only; he has a knack for making everyone feel special. Izzy inserts himself in one of the shop’s artful, festive displays.
Fido Fact
The Brussels Griffon is a toy dog named for its city of origin: Brussels, Belgium. Intelligent and cheerful, this dog has a terrier-like disposition and is known for his almost human expression. Its popularity increased in the U.S. after a Brussels Griffon was featured in the 1997 movie “As Good As It Gets.”
no v e mb e r 2010
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