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Linden, Alabama
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March 12, 2015     The Democrat-Reporter
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March 12, 2015
 
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All West Alabama Thursday, March 12, 2015 Sto re Dog e n j oys Jefferso n Three scraggly puppies showed up at Jefferson Country Store in October, 2013, one survived; he conquered hearts Picture that Art Meripol took for a feature inBusiness Alabama magazine. "Store Dog is pretty popular among our the store six days a week, we don't really get a  Facebook followers, so when someone visits for the first time, they almost always ask where Store Dog is if they don't see him when they come in," Betsy Compton explained. "He can be shy, and a little bit peculiar, but he usually lets down his guard a little if treats are involved. He goes to church whenever the doors open, fire department meetings, commu- nity club events, and anywhere else that people gather near the store." The bashful Store Dog is well-known in the community and evidently abroad. Frequent and first-time visitors alike know him by name and look for him. Store Dog is the only survivor of three dogs who came to the store shortly after it opened for business in October 2013 and has become a local legend on Facebook. The dog is cared for by the community, including neighbors who stop by on Sunday afternoons to leave food and treats for him. Since early 2014, tee shirts featuring Jefferson Country Store mascot Store Dog in support of Bigbe Humane Society of Demopolis have been spotted across the United States. In February, volunteers from Bigbee picked up another check, this time for $150, proceeds from the most recent batch of tee shirt sales. The tee shirts feature the store's four-legged friend, Store Dog 1, and the message, "Support your local humane society." Store owners Tony Luker and Betsy Compton say they have had orders for the tee shirt from several states. Visitors from Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington, D. C., Montana, and several other locales have stopped in for shirts after follow- ing the rambling black and white patched canine on the Store's Facebook page. They say they have received photos of others wearing the shirts from Walt Disney World to New York City, the Gulf Coast, and even Bolivia. "We love getting messages and photos from people who have spotted Store Dog on shirts at ballgames and other trips, especially outside Marengo County or even Alabama," said Luker. "Our biggest goal il to help Bigbee with the work they do, and since we're here at chance to go volunteer at the shelter like a lot of our friends do. We hope these shirts contin- ue to raise awareness and that the proceeds we get help feed or vet the dogs there." A limited quantity of Store Dog shirts is still available at the store; and additional sizes or quantities can be ordered at Jefferson Country Store. Store Dog 1 is the only survivor of three dogs who came to the store shortly after we opened in October 2013. The others were Store Dog 2, and then Store Dog 3, who: appeared a couple weeks after the first two, but was clearly a litter mate. We introduced- We puppies on the store's Facebook page, and people quickly took a liking to their photos. After he was the only dog around, Store Dog warmed up to us a little, allowing us to pet him about a month after he'd first shown up at the • store. Late one evening around closing time, Store Dog let Tony pet him, and after that, he started to warm up a little to a few more of us. He was a mischievous puppy, and he still gets into a little trouble, but he's calmed down quite a bit since his first few months. It took some correcting for him to realize he couldn't tear up our neighbors' flowers, and hopefully he doesn't do that anymore. He goes to church, fire department meet- ings, community club gatherings, and he even does a little wandering when we're not look- ing. He's a very social dog.., likes to see and be seen, but it's all at his discretion! We have lots of followers on Facebook who take photos of him when they visit and send those to us, and we've even had some take photos of other dogs they've seen that look like Store Dog. Back in the summer, when everybody was on the campaign trail, and social media was covered with election propaganda, we shared a picture of Store Dog with a "Vote for Store Dog" message, jokingly telling people they could write him in as their vote. Obviously he isn't holding a public office right now, hut he may have gotten a few votes! Betsy quipped, "I don't think folks have ral- "lid behind a little black and white dog like this since Snoopy came along!" L Store Dog had been at the store for more than a month before he let anyone pet him. Some days he still doesn't! • . • o Store Dog will come as far as the top step and stretch his head in to see what's going on inside, but he's never crossed the threshold. Friends from several counties and even other states stop by to visit and share their favonte snacks With Store Dog. He loves potato chips, sausage biscuits, vienna ausages, and anything elseli"e can get.