Sunday, June 22, 2008

Working Customers

Often customers come to our store to escape the stress of work. They pick up yarn for projects that will give them relaxation when they are not working. This week we had two customers who came to our store as part of their job.

Reef is a regular "customer" working with C.O.P.E. - Canine Opportunity, People Empowerment. She is a golden retriever who is a special service dog; training to open doors, turn on lights, assist in emergencies or other tasks that a person using a wheelchair, for example, might have difficulty doing on their own. Patti is her trainer (and a great knitter) who has been working with Reef for the past year. The training regime takes two years and already Reef has a large repertoire of words that she understands and skills that she can undertake - such as the valuable task of carrying a bag of yarn. You can learn more about this service at http://www.copedogs.org/

Jasper was also working at Serenity Knits this week to assist her owner, Beverly, pick out some yarn. Jasper is a yellow Labrador retriever and is a guide dog; the eyes for Beverly. Beverly is an amazing knitter, who is making a beautiful shawl that would be a challenge for many knitters who have their vision. The shawl is flawless with perfect tension and is nearing completion. (I was so awestruck at the skills of both Jasper and Beverly, that I didn't think of taking a picture of the shawl.)

Even though we consider our store to be a place for creative relaxation, it is also always a pleasure to see the hard work of faithful friends like Reef and Jasper. We will make sure we have doggy treats next to the candy container as a thank you for their dedication.

Karen

1 comment:

Patti Hall said...

Reef bows his head in thanks, and if he could blush, Karen, he would. Thank you for being so open to his training and his learning process. The 'sticks' and sheep smell are great distractions for practicing. P