Doggie in the Window Ended Up Costing Him Plenty

--When Randall Forselius opened his tie shop, Trifles, in Denver last March, he had his 3-year-old Airedale, Mustikka, modeling ties in the window. Business was fine. But in November, Forselius said, U.S. Agriculture Department veterinarian Dr. John Gray told him that animals used to merchandise products must be licensed under a federal animal-welfare law. Forselius, 51, admits to a “low threshold for bureaucrats” and told Gray he would not comply. Furthermore, he said, Mustikka was his pet, was well treated and was happy displaying ugly ties that were not for sale. Gray later had second thoughts and said he visited the shop and found that Mustikka was a pet and appeared to be well taken care of, so he decided not to require a license. However, Forselius says he didn’t learn of that decision until last Wednesday, and, by that time, it was too late. He had thought his choice was to license the dog or close; he was angry and went to City Hall and got a license for a going-out-of-business sale. The shop is to close at the end of this month. “Now, I find out when it’s too late to do anything,” he said. “I’m really angry.” For a few more days, Mustikka remains the doggie in the window with a tie. A sign posted in the store tells customers Forselius’ version of the closing.

--Most workers explain their tardiness or absence with prosaic tales of dead batteries, missed trains or common colds. But the imagination of a creative minority can pique a boss’ interest: “I thought Halloween was a holiday” or “Someone stole one of my shoes on the bus.” “We’re not talking about standard reasons,” said Robert Half, whose New York employment company commissioned the survey of executives. Some examples from the survey:--”Suddenly, the doors of the armored car in front of me opened up, and $10 bills started flying out,” causing a traffic jam. --”I ate so much during my vacation that none of my clothes would fit me. So I had to spend the morning having them altered.” --”I was having breakfast at a coffee shop when I fell asleep at the table.” --”My husband forgot where he parked our car after he came home from his office party last night.” --”My 6-year-old son set all the clocks back an hour.” --”My parakeet spoke for the first time, so I waited for him to do it again so I could tape-record it.” Or, “The dog got hold of my toupee and hid it somewhere in the basement.”