Lovie: The Most Frequently Asked Questions
As the “face” of the business, Shop Dog Lovie is generally considered our most valuable employee. I wouldn’t be lying if I told you people have called the store (on countless occasions) to see if she would be “on shift” before deciding whether to visit that day. The same could not be said about Ellyn or myself, i.e. the founders of the store, the people who can speak actual human words about the books we carry.
Lovie is quite literally at the center of our business
But who is the dog behind the enigma? How did her stunning profile come to symbolize all that is Dog-Eared Books?
If you’re looking for the inside scoop, you’ve come to the right place, because it’s time for an Off the Leash Reveals All, answering all of your most frequently asked questions.
No.1 most-often-asked question: Can I pet her?
Short answer: Yes!
Lovie strategically sprawls out right inside our front entrance to maximize her chances of belly rubs and chin scratches. If she’s not chilling there, watching the world go by (and contemplating an escape to Treats on a Leash, the pet supply store across the the street), she’s curled up in her favorite green chair under our “Books Are Meant to Be Loved” neon sign.
Lovie is a trained service dog (not just a comfort animal), as the state health department only allows service animals in businesses that serve food and beverage (we’ve got some killer scones and bars and we can’t get by without the booze). But if she’s not working directly with me, she’s at your disposal for all the comfort and furry love you need.
Is it a boy or a girl?
Rub her belly and you’ll find out pretty quickly. But I find this question and the frequency with which it’s asked really interesting. People are uncomfortable referring to Lovie as an “it,” and rightfully so—she’s not an inanimate object. She’s a living, breathing organism with a deeply connected soul. But she doesn’t give a flip about gender. She’s spayed and she’s never had much sexual interest in dogs of any gender—she’ll still sniff their butts, but I tend to think of her as asexual. Try using her as an opportunity to practice your non-binary pronouns, which leads me to the next most-often-asked question:
What’s THEIR name?
In the competition dog world, dogs all have a “Call Name” and a “Registered Name.” Their call is just what it sounds like – it’s the name the dog is called in day-to-day conversation. Lovie’s “call name” is Lovie because she came home with us on Valentine’s Day 2015.
The term “lovie” has not yet been made official by Merriam Webster, but any parent or caregiver of a infant or toddler knows that a “lovie” is an object imbued with magical powers that can comfort a child in a instant but without which they cannot sleep and may, in fact, die. We anticipated that this dog would provide great comfort and would be well-loved by many.
We were also in the habit of giving our dogs names used as terms of endearment – Lovie’s older sister was Honey. I wanted to return from errand-running and shout out “Honey, I’m home,” and have my delightful, beautiful old gal come running over to give me a hug.
Lovie’s “Registered Name” is Grindstone’s C’Est La Vie. What does all that mean? It means she came from a passionate and responsible breeder in Lathrop, Missouri, whose kennel name is Grindstone’s Goldens (they lived on Grindstone Circle). The breeder, Pam, focused on breeding dogs with a long history of perfect health and excellent temperament to produce litters of athletic goldens with a high drive to learn, who would perform well hunting in the field and in obedience, agility, and therapy. She succeeded on all fronts. Dog-naming etiquette typically calls for honoring the kennel’s name at the start of your dog’s “registered name.”
Now how about C’est La Vie? I took French in high school and was anything but a stellar student. But the French nailed it with this phrase. “C’est la vie” means “such is life.” It means acceptance of the chaos, the misfortune, and also the surprise blessings. I had three daughters, had suffered a traumatic lost pregnancy but had just learned I was pregnant again (and psychically knew it was another girl—really!). Such is life! My therapist of 10 years liked to say I was always trying to show 10 pounds of dog shit in a 5 pound bag. But who could stop me from adding a puppy to our Lepper circus—it wouldn’t feel right if we weren’t pushing ourselves beyond our limits.
Serious dog people love a good play on words—so observe how Grindstone’s C’Est La Vie morphs into “Lovie.” There’s the long answer for what should have been a simple question.
Who’s dog is she?
She belongs to me, Amanda, co-owner of Dog-Eared Books. Although her registration papers DO say she’s owned by both “Amanda and Austin Lepper,” she knows who the real boss is.
Does she live at the store?
I assume this question comes from non-dog owners. Dogs are pack animals (unlike cats), and prefer to keep company with their people 24/7. Also, they don’t use litter boxes, so….. She spends her afternoons sniffing after whichever critters have dared come within the vicinity of our yard (particularly deer), lets me know precisely at 5 p.m. that she’s ready for dinner, and sleeps at the foot of by bed at night. When I get up and ready for my days at the store, Lovie eagerly rushes to the garage door – she loves her time in the bookstore and all the people she gets to meet. If I have a day off and she sees me heading to the garage, I have to disappoint her and tell her she has to stay and watch the house for us.
What breed is she?
Lovie is a golden retriever.
Which often follows with, “really?”
Yes, really. Golden retrievers, and all dogs for that matter, are just like humans in their variety. They come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, although good breeding does attempt to adhere to a “breed standard,” which specifies the type, structure, gait, and temperament of the breed—all characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. Golden retrievers are historically Scottish gundogs bred to retrieve hunted waterfowl. And boy does Lovie love to retrieve and swim—it’s amazing to watch her genetics at work.
As the breed has evolved, goldens bred for field work (hunting, retrieving, etc), are typically smaller, redder, and have shorter hair (it dries faster). Show goldens (those who compete in the conformation ring), have to meet the American Kennel Club’s current breed standards; they’re blonder, larger, and have blockier heads. People will also tell you about their “English Cream” goldens or “Canadian” goldens. Guess what? They’re all golden retrievers—the rest is all aesthetics. We just happen to prefer the red ones.
Why is she so small?
Goldens bred for field work are often smaller, and I wanted to make sure I could carry her up and down flights of stairs and in and out of cars when she becomes too old to do it herself.—something I did for our older golden, Honey, who weighed 56 pounds, for the last two years of her life.
How old is she?
I still look at her and see the puppy who destroyed at least 10 pairs of my kids’ shoes. (That’s the retriever instinct! And guess what? My kids finally learned how to put their shoes away). But Lovie is 8 years old! Her birthday is Dec, 16th, 2014. The old adage would say she’s 56 in dog years (8x7), but I read an interesting report from the American Kennel Club that calculates how dogs age in comparison to humans. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a dog’s first year equates to about 15 human years. Year two equals about nine human years. After that, each human year ages a dog approximately five years. By that math, Lovie is only 54! I’ll take it.
Other fun facts:
Lovie can make book recommendations – but only for books in which no dog is harmed. Ask to see her bookstore trick next time you’re in.
