Meet the shop dogs of Laguna Beach

It’s been said that in business, it’s a dog-eat-dog world, so of course you would bring your dog to work.

Welcome to the shop dogs of Laguna Beach, where small-business owners find it’s better to have their best friend at their feet.

From antique stores to hair salons, you will find dogs roaming the aisles — or even jumping on your lap to give you a kiss.

“People love dogs,” said Laura Georgopoulos, who owns the Flea Market consignment store on Ocean Avenue with husband Lee. Wolfie, their white German Shepherd rescue dog, is listed on their business card.

Laura said travelers in particular like having dogs around.

“There are men in suits that lay on the ground because they miss their dogs so much,” she said.

“People from all over the world send him postcards,” Lee added.

They built Wolfie his own “apartment” behind the counter. It’s a large cubbyhole with a bed and toys.

“Everyone comments on his nature and magic,” Lee said. “He’s a very special animal. He talks to you.”

It’s been shown that therapy dogs in hospitals or nursing homes can reduce stress and improve morale, so workplace dogs serve a similar function.

The benefits of therapy dogs were first identified in 1976 when a registered nurse, Elaine Smith, noticed how well patients responded to a chaplain and his golden retriever. She founded Therapy Dogs International, and now there are more than 25,000 registered dog trainers across the country providing comfort to those who need it. The pooches may offer disaster stress relief and assistance with children’s literacy.

The effects in business, of course, are not as dramatic. In most cases, the owners just like having their dogs around.

At Soul Project, 1515 S. Coast Hwy., owners Summer and Don Meek said Charlie, a 6-year-old Goldendoodle, is part of the family and serves as the store’s greeter.

Summer admitted that Charlie is “good for business.” He even has his own Instagram account.

Friendly and polite, Charlie seems to know when to approach people and when to let them shop.

Nearby, Vertigo’s Chris Oswalt lets Utah, his 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, run the place, and it shows. Utah keeps a keen eye on everyone who enters and is not above doing tricks for treats. He also likes to bark at sirens that pass by on Coast Highway.

Around the corner at La Bottega gallery, 1590 S. Coast Hwy., is Oscar, a nearly 6-year-old tiny teacup Yorkshire Terrier.

Even though Oscar is sometimes a little territorial with newcomers, he warms up quickly and likes to do a little dance.

Owner Emir Bezdrob said he’s lost track of how many times people have offered to buy the wee dog.

“People sometimes don’t want to buy the art, but they do want to buy Oscar,” Bezdrob said, shaking his head.

Another small dog, at Seaside Soles, 1400 S. Coast Hwy., is owned by Ginger Weston. Brandi is an 11-year-old blind Shih Tzu and retired therapy dog who somehow makes her way around the store.

She especially likes to sit out on the store’s front porch and sunbathe.

Meanwhile, up the road at British Hair Company, Bear the poodle is still a puppy at 10 months, and his enthusiasm shows. When it comes to regular patrons, he’s not shy about jumping on their lap to help assess the progress of their haircut.

Owner Paul Welsh said the salon is like family for most of the clients, so it makes sense to have a dog around. He adopted Bear after the dog was in a difficult living arrangement, so it’s worked out for everyone.

Shop dogs are not only for retail or service stores either. SWA, a landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm on Glenneyre Street, has Rothko as its mascot, named after painter Mark Rothko.

He’s a playful 9-year-old standard poodle and Doberman mix owned by Drew Watkins, an architect and designer at the firm.

Nationally, several well-known companies allow dogs in the workplace — with various conditions.

Google allows dogs, but you have to get your manager’s approval, make sure it’s cool with your immediate co-workers and, oh yeah, no dogs in the volleyball sand pit.

Other pro-dog companies include Etsy, Amazon, Ben & Jerry’s, Procter & Gamble, Clif Bar and Mars.

So if you want more productive employees with higher job satisfaction, consider loosening the leash on your pet policy.

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DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at hansen.dave@gmail.com.