Walking along the snowy road, Simon and Shawnee are enjoying getting out of the house to stretch their legs. Wandering back and forth across the road, the new snow beckons them with its fluffiness. Every now and then, Simon flops over wriggling on his back, all four limbs waving the air like a bug freaking out shortly before death. I call them “doggy snow angels”.
Soon the hum of the vehicle breaks through the snowy silence, and the ubiquitous brown truck appears — the UPS man is making his daily rounds. As we stand by the side of the road, he pulls up, rolls the window down and magically, dog biscuits appear! Simon gratefully nibbles from his hand, and then Shawnee leaps up to grab her treat. “Have a great day!” he yells out the window as the truck departs. I smile, and memories of handing out dog biscuits during my first summer in a mountain town flood over me. The summer I spent working as a bank teller in Lake Tahoe.
Sitting at the teller window, I wondered how busy it would be today. Having never done this before I felt a bit apprehensive. As I mused further on this topic, 9 a.m. came and went and the doors of the bank opened. I tried to look professional and looked forward to my first customer.
All of the sudden a face appeared at the teller window, but it wasn’t human. A large yellow lab had jumped up, panting and grinning – yes it was definitely a grin. His claws gripped on to the edge of the counter, as his tail whipped back and forth.
My colleague next to me laughed and said, “oh, hey Luke!” She grabbed some biscuits and handed them to me, saying “he’s looking for some of these…”
I fed a biscuit to the boisterous, happy dog which he promptly gobbled up. He then sat down and I could see a human was attached to the beast. Being a dog lover, it made my day — maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.
Quickly realizing that the bank I was working a temp job at for the summer was so dog friendly, I decided to bring the dog I was taking care of to hang out in the trees by the parking area for the day. Hakuna was a high-strung, super smart Border Collie who loved people and loved being active. One of her favorite games upon getting home each day was “Capture the pine cone” — I would sail a good-sized ponderosa pine cone out into the driveway and she would dash after it bring it back to me for another go round. This would go on and on until my arm felt like it would fall off, but never because Hakuna would tire of it. She possessed endless energy.
Being a dog lover, who had been dogless for several years, I was thrilled to be appointed her dog caretaker for eight weeks while her parents were gone. I would finally feel as if I fit in to this mountain town — a dog to hike with, take on road trips, hang out with in the neighborhood.
After I set up her water bowl and leashed her to the tree, I went into the bank to begin my shift. A strange thing happened, the senior manager came up to me, asking “Is that your dog?”
Uh oh, maybe I’d made a mistake bringing her today. I timidly responded, “yes, is that okay?”
“Oh, I thought you might want to bring her in the bank, so she’d be more comfortable.”
Say what?
And so it began seven weeks of Hakuna and I heading off to work and her hanging out in the teller area with me and the rest of the bank staff. I worried with her high-strung nature that she would start to get restless, but it was for naught. Maybe her high intellect Border collie brain helped her realize this was a place for manners and decorum, but she would find her spot and lay down. She became a fan favorite of all the staff, receiving many a pat on the head and a biscuit. It also allowed me to spend my lunch times going for walks with her in the north Lake Tahoe neighborhood, taking the edge off of her boundless energy.
Dogs and mountain towns go together like peas in a pod. I can’t think of one city where the banks and hardware stores keep a steady supply of dog biscuits, and that part of your customer service training includes not just serving people but the canines that accompany them.
Conversely, if you don’t like dogs, being around dogs everywhere including the local brew pub might seem to wear on you.
Living in the mountains really is a dog’s way of life.
