Sadie, Amber Draw Customers To Island Store
By Karen Gould

On the job, Wednesday, November 7, golden retriever Sadie and cocker spaniel Amber can be found at Alford's Drug Store on Mackinac Island, with owners Gene Hagenbaugh and Melanie Alford.

With front paws resting on the checkout counter at Alford's Drug Store, golden retriever Sadie helps mind the till as she stands on her hind legs to greet customers. Her new trainee, Amber, an eightmonth old cocker spaniel who is much smaller in stature, for now prefers to jump up and down, welcoming customers as they enter the Mackinac Island Main Street store.

The dogs belong to store owners and Island residents Melanie Alford and Gene Hagenbaugh. The canines are daily visitors to the store and have earned the affection of Island residents and staff.

Each morning, to ensure she does not miss a day of work, Sadie gets her leash and waits by the front door of the couple's home. They live just minutes from work on the west end of Main Street near the school. Once the leash is attached to her collar, Sadie is ready to run along with Mr. Hagenbaugh as he rides his bicycle to work. Puppy Amber travels in Ms. Alford's bicycle basket.

Once at the store, now that the tourist season has come to an end, the dogs have free rein around the shop. During the summer months, said Ms. Alford, the pair spend their days behind the counter with the cashiers. Awaist-high swinging gate blocks off the area.

The cashiers have learned to walk around the dogs as they reach for various items stored behind the counter. The one-time drug store now offers over-the-counter medications and sundry items.

Sadie, being the larger of the two dogs, offers more of a challenge when it comes to sharing the narrow work area.

"We've come to an agreement," said cashier Nancy Marks, whose husband, Jim, is the Island chief of police. "There's my space, and her space."

Although off duty, Mrs. Marks stops in the store November 7. As the front door opens, Sadie recognizes her friend and rushes to greet her. Mrs. Marks bends down to pet the dog and within seconds, in her typical friendly fashion, Sadie has licked off most of Mrs. Marks' hand lotion.

Sadie also has bonded with cashier Kimmy Raymond, who steps out from the storage room. Ms. Raymond has taught Sadie how to sit, lie down, and raise a paw for a high-five greeting.

Mr. Hagenbaugh quietly watches the afternoon activity from behind the counter as Sadie maneuvers her way around the store, seeking and easily getting attention. Sadie is Mr. Hagenbaugh's dog, said Ms. Raymond, and at almost four years old, the dog is his shadow.

"She watches movies, reads the paper, and takes walks," said Ms. Raymond of Sadie. "She is his minime in a dog body."

During the summer, Sadie often sleeps behind the counter. When she hears the voice of a familiar customer, she is up and ready to say hello to the friend, said Ms. Alford.

"Some people come and take them for walks," said Ms. Alford, who appreciates the warmth residents have shown to the dogs.

Sadie also waits for certain customers like Island resident Mark Bobinski, who prepares homemade treats for the animals. He is not the only resident who spoils the canines with goodies, said Ms. Alford.

"Some people carry treats in their pockets," she said, and dole them out when they enter the shop.

Tourists also enjoy the dogs, said Ms. Alford.

"They just think it's neat," she said. When summer visitors realize the dogs are behind the counter, they often ask to pet Sadie and Amber.

The dogs, she said, help spur conversations with tourists, who want to share stories about their family pets left at home while their owners are on vacation.

Sadie has developed her own following, said Ms. Alford, now that she has been coming to the store for a few years.

"People come back year after year to see Sadie," she said. "They come in just to see her."

The couple took in Amber last summer. Still a puppy, Amber is happy for any attention she can get from customers as she continues to learn her role in the business. For now, Ms. Alford said, Amber is being taught "the basics," which include not to run out the door when it opens. Unlike Sadie, the cocker spaniel will always be too short to reach the counter, said Ms. Alford, so she will have to find her own way to welcome customers as she becomes accustomed to the store's routine.

Alford's Drug Store remains open all year. When the snow falls, the bicycles will be stored until spring, and soon Sadie will teach Amber the winter routine of walking to work, where they will continue to be ready to greet old friends and make new ones.