If it’s been a ruff day stop in and see Oakley at Granny’s Liquor and before you know it, you will be smiling and feeling more relaxed.
Oakley, the store mascot at Granny’s Liquor in Lanesboro, Minn., has the type of personality that makes a person want to stop for a minute and soak it all in.
Oakley is a two-and-a-half-year-old Tibetan terrier who has grown up in the store as owner Lori Bakke started bringing him to work with her when he was a puppy.
“He loves people and he loves being at the store,” states Bakke. There are many people that come in to Granny’s Liquor specifically to see Oakley and even bring him treats. “And he knows that,” explains Bakke, so when those people come in he is especially excited to see them.
“He loves treats,” according to Bakke and he will perform tricks for them including shaking hands, sitting and laying down.
“I have both kids and adults that stop at the store just to see him,” she says, and Oakley loves getting attention from each and every one of them.
“All my sales people and reps love him,” notes Bakke and they look forward to their stops at Granny’s Liquor just to see Oakley and spend a few minutes petting him.
“It’s amazing how people come in and find you have a dog in your store; it relaxes them,” Bakke comments, saying “they feel it’s more of a home environment” and it takes some of their daily stress away for a few minutes.
“He loves kids,” says Bakke, adding “he automatically senses when it’s kids” coming in the door and he is quick to greet them when they come in, to accept all of their kisses and hugs.
Oakley is a rising internet sensation also as he appears in many of the Thirsty Thursday videos that Bakke posts on the Granny’s Liquor Facebook page. Bakke gets a lot of positive comments from people about seeing Oakley in the videos. They look forward to seeing him in the videos each week.
“I have had many offers of people who want to take him,” states Bakke. Not only is Oakley an awesome dog, he is also non-shedding and hypoallergenic which is another plus.
Oakley’s favorite activity is playing fetch and he is willing to play anytime. To spend a few minutes playing fetch with Oakley would surely take your mind off any troubles you may be having.
Oakley’s favorite playmate is his “nephew” Petey. Petey is Bakke’s son Nate’s dog, and he is a black lab cross.
Oakley is such an outgoing and friendly dog that, “if the door gets held open too long he loves to go visit High Court Pub because they have popcorn and people — his two favorite things,” says Bakke.
“He loves going in the bank with me every day and visiting the girls,” states Bakke, because he knows he will get attention from them when he comes in. The bank serves free popcorn on Fridays and “he knows that too,” she says, and he looks forward to Fridays so he can visit the bank and clean up any popcorn that may have been spilled or dropped on the floor.
Oakley has his designated spot where he lays behind the counter at Granny’s Liquor and will come out and visit when customers come in but when there has been too much excitement and he has had enough he just gets up and heads down to the basement to his kennel for some quiet time.
Oakley also likes to sit in the chair behind the counter while Bakke stands and visits with customers or friends because being at arms height “he knows he’s getting attention,” she states.
Bakke describes Oakley as a real “Mama’s Boy” as he prefers to be by her side over anyone else. But he will accept love from just about anybody, and he gives as good as he gets.
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