usiness in Oxford is going to the dogs - and cats - and the owners wouldn't have it any other way.
At The Frame Up art and framing shop on the courthouse square, Mr. Reid has been the cat-in-residence since being found hungry and lost three years ago in front of Neilson's Department Store. "I went over and he literally walked down the steps, came over here and hasn't left since," says Wanda Reid, owner of The Frame Up and a long-time volunteer and the current treasurer for the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society.
Efforts to find Mr. Reid's original owner were unsuccessful. "We called all the vets, the shelter and took lots of Polariods and put them around all the bulletin boards. We never heard one thing and by that time he was perfectly content here." Looking around at the wide expanse of carpeted walls covered with frame samples, it's easy to see why. "Where else in town could you have a whole house that's a scratching post?" Reid asks. "Although the cats don't respect art the way I would like them to. I don't know if they realize this is our livelihood and it's how they get their treats, beds, condos and strollers. They have a lot of perks, and I don't think they realize what pays for those perks." While Mr. Reid may have been on the scene first, he now shares his living quarters with four other cats. Newcomers Livey and Lovey weighed only four ounces each when they were found. "No one gave us any hope, but we bottle fed them 24/7 for five weeks," says Wanda. "They were so tiny that we weighed them every morning over at Neilson's on the postage meter. We kept them in a big box and Reid totally, totally ignored them. He was not a happy camper that two kittens had invaded his space. Literally one week to the day, Reid jumped into the box with them and he's been with them ever since. He's the best stepdad in the world." With the arrival of Licorice and Lydia, the trio became a quintet. "We got a phone call about four kittens that been abandoned. A man said that if we would come get them he would give a nice donation to the shelter. I guess he must have forgotten about the donation, but we adopted two of the kittens." "There isn't a day of the week that people don't come in and say they watched the cats in the window the night before while going to or returning from dinner, " Wanda says. "Every Saturday morning, Square Books Junior has a story time and afterward we're overwhelmed with adults as well as children. Plus Oxford has a lot of weekend homeowners from out-of-town. If they don't see the kittens in the window on Friday evening when they go to dinner they will come by on Saturday to check and see if somebody is sick." At the end of the workday, as the humans prepare to go home, the shop is turned over to the cats. "I'm amazed by their internal clocks," Reid says. "We start checking out about five and they know it's time for dinner. They don't vary five minutes. If we have a house full of people someone has to go back and feed them so they won't start squawking. They seem so pleased when we walk out the door - especially on the days they've been very busy - that they can have the place to themselves." A few doors down, a canine rules supreme at AC's Bed and Bath Company. "He thinks he's a big dog," Ann Cleary confides, holding Buddy her four and a half year-old Yorkshire Terrier. "Of course, he also thinks that
Buddy spends a portion of his day on his bed by the front door making sure no dogs or skateboards slip by unnoticed on "his" sidewalk. Sentry duty is put aside when someone comes into the shop. "Then he will roll over on his back to get his stomach scratched," Cleary says. "I have customers who love Buddy more than they love the shop. He has a large fan following." When Buddy's official duties become too overwhelming he moves to his quiet place in Ann's office. However, taking a break doesn't mean that Buddy shirks his responsibilities. He still keeps an eye on all aspects of "his" store. "He doesn't like for me to lift anything heavy and anytime I change one of the beds he likes to be in the middle of the action." Although his working conditions may be elegant, Ann says that Buddy remains a guy at heart. "He doesn't like to be brushed and hates to have a haircut. He's definitely a tomboy." Between work and play, the fashion-savvy canine can always find time to shop for the latest designs at A New Twist on University Avenue. Store manager Barbara Hudson says she originally purchased the unique apparel because of her own Yorkshire terriers Roxie and Bella. "I always wanted pretty collars and things for them, but they hated having something around their necks," Husdon says. "I'd put it on them and they would sit down and refuse to walk. I spotted these outfits at market and thought they were perfect. They're made like a harness so even if a dog pulls, they don't feel like they're being choked." |
Roxie and Bella
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The outfits, which come in all sizes and are available with matching leashes, have been a big hit with all of Hudson's canine clientele - especially Roxie and Bella who are enjoying their new status as fashionistas. "I'll take them to the square, and people constantly stop me to pet the dogs and ask about the outfits," she says. "They love to go for walks now."
When work gets too stressful, pets can take their human by Mimosa Flowers and Gifts on Jackson Avenue to check out the latest toys and treats and visit with Dianne Falkner, Leslie Ferguson and Sara Irby. "When we opened the store we included pet items because there were a lot of great toys and things out there that weren't available anywhere else in Oxford," says Ferguson. The humans at Mimosa are always on the lookout for new and interesting items, but it's a dog that has the final say. Before any treats and toys make it to the shelf, they're field tested by Ally, Ferguson's seven-year-old Jack Russell Terrier. "Her favorite toy is a tennis ball and we were going through a new ball every week or so. Then I found some made from a different material. The lettering has rubbed off, but after six months it's still in good condition." Whether canine visitors to Mimosa are "purse-dogs" or Labs, they can be assured of never leaving empty-pawed. "We someone comes to visit we always send them home with a Greenie," Ferguson says. The offer of such a snack would get a sniff and a turned up feline nose at Bette's Flowers on University Avenue. For the past eight and a half-years, Princess Pussums has tended to business alongside her humans Camille Garret King and her brother David Garret. "I went to the shelter with a friend who was looking for a dog," King recalls. "When we got there I saw her, took
According to David Garrett, the Himalayan maintains a rigorous schedule. "Puss sleeps all day and frolics all night." Surrounded by beautiful things, she has developed excellent taste. "She always chooses the most expensive pillows in the store to sleep on. And if she ruins one she doesn't have anything else to do with it. She wants a new one." Like her furry co-workers all over Oxford, Princess Pussums has many admirers. "The college kids hear about her and come see her," Garrett explains. "We have lots of people who come back for homecoming every year, and years after they've graduated they still stop by say hello and check on Pussums and pet her." Not to be outdone by a cat, Yorkshire Terrier Harley and Cairn Terrier Chewbacca who "work" at Ron's Music Center on Lamar Boulevard, boast groupies of their own. Before moving to the music industry, Harley had a career in show business. "He's a retired show dog who originally belonged to a good friend of ours, LaJune Mills," says Ron Lakey. "He got sick at a show and after that he didn't like to travel. This wasn't long after we lost our Yorkie, Alfie, so LaJune decided we needed Harley." Chewbacca, who resembles his Wookie namesake in both appearance and vocalization, began working when
While Harley and Chewie may not appreciate the finer points of music, they do understand the value of good customer relations. "Harley never meets a stranger and Chewie likes to help Eric (Deaton) give children their guitar lessons. He follows them in, waits, and then follows them back to the door." Leading a dog's life can be a good thing. "They can't wait to get to work in the morning because Leah (Heard) is already here and has made coffee. They greet her, go to the kitchen and while we have coffee they have Greenies." While Harley and Chewie are enjoying breakfast, Alexander the Great is already at work at Crossroads Animal Hospital on Highway 6 alongside his own personal veterinarian, Katherine Kvam. "I called him Alexander the Great because I believe he may be part Russian wolfhound," Kvam explains, then smiles. "But I also came up with an imaginary breed, the Royal Hawaiian Poi dog, just because he is so unusual looking and I'm asked so often what kind of dog he is." Whatever his ancestry, Alex's start in life was less than princely. "I was practicing in Madison and had recently lost my Irish Setter that I'd had for ten years. She went to work with me every day and slept under my desk and was the perfect lady - just a fabulous dog. I thought, well, I've had the good dog in my life. I'll have other dogs, but never have one like that. Kvam's outlook began to change after the rescue group Furry Friends brought Alex to the clinic. They'd found him in a ditch, limping because of a gunshot wound. It turned out he'd been shot in the leg. Kvam's friend Andy Shores a surgeon with the Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine helped her repair Alex's
Alex now spends workdays rambling through building and keeping track of what's going on at the clinic. "He's been coming with me ever since we opened this practice. He gets along with everyone and is very cat friendly. I have a cat (Buttercup) that likes Alex better than she likes me. She sleeps with him and grooms his beard. He won't go into the lobby or an exam room unless you invite him, because he's been told that's not where he's supposed to be. If there is a lot going on, just too much commotion, he'll go to his bed and get out of the way." During the day Alex has plenty of human, canine and feline company. "We (three veterinarians and staff) all bring our dogs and we have two clinic cats," Kvam says. Alex's "work" also gives him the opportunity to help others. "There have been a couple of instances at nights and on weekends when Alex has served as a blood donor. He's the best dog. I can do it by myself and he will sit there and donate whatever he needs to donate." All of these animals love their work and work for love. Which gives new meaning to working like a dog - or a cat. Gurner Photography
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