For most people, the workplace is where we make a living and little else. Our home is where we have a respite from the rigors of the workweek. However, for a lucky few, a little piece of home comes with them to work – man and woman’s best friend, their pet. Pets in the workplace can have both a calming and uniting effect, bringing owner, pet, and other coworkers closer together.

Such is the case for Ryan Alexander, an employee at Taxpayers for Common Sense. With an office at 651 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, the watchdog group is nestled in the heart of a thriving Capitol Hill corridor.

“Taxpayers for Common Sense is a non-partisan budget watchdog that fights for a responsible federal government that spends within its means. The primary focus of our work is fighting wasteful projects that are also harmful – weapons systems that don’t work, corporate subsidies that create pollution, or farm subsidies that enrich corporate agribusiness.” While the organization deals with very serious topics, Alexander lightens the mood by bringing his Bernese Mountain dog Daisy to the office with him. At eight years old, Daisy has been with her owner for seven years. “She definitely has her own personality – she’s very sweet tempered and a little eccentric,” noted Alexander. “On days she is in the office, she generally starts her morning by doing a sweep of the office for potential snacks on the floor. She participates in meetings, sometimes by snoring.”

Through her personality and actions, Daisy helps allay the stress of the workplace for TCS employees, even if for only a moment. “We have an open office, and she likes to settle down in a place where she can see the most people, although sometimes she will settle in at my feet under my desk,” stated Alexander. “If someone on staff approaches her, she generally rolls over on her back in hopes of getting her stomach scratched.” While not an everyday denizen of the TCS offices (Alexander places her attendance at around four to five visits a month), Daisy is, without a doubt, an important part of her owner Ryan Alexander’s workplace.

Lana and Bubba Squash of Alvear Studios
Proprietor Chris Alvear of Alvear Studios on Barracks Row is the proud owner of two dachsunds, Lana and Bubba Squash. While the former is just one year old and the latter six, both dogs exhibit similarly sociable personalities. “Both of them interact with customers all the time,” noted Alvear, who has had Lana for a year and Bubba Squash for six months. A rescued dog, his owner characterizes him as more reserved, while Lana is far more energetic. “She’s a live wire, both at work and at home,” said Alvear while sitting with his two friends at his Capitol Hill home. A close bond is evident between dogs and owner, as both Lana and Bubba Squash make immediate eye contact when they hear Alvear’s voice.

Alvear Studio was founded ten years ago at Eastern Market. After three years in that iconic area, the shop moved to its current location on Eighth Street. The Barracks Row corridor truly suits its mission statement, providing a socially and culturally diverse location for what Alvear Studio’s website characterizes as “a unique gallery comprised of a vast collection of art, jewelry, and furniture from many local and international artists.” With its eclectic holdings, the establishment gives Hill residents access to some of the District’s most unique and authentic pieces of home decoration.

Tuesday and Gingko at Gingko Gardens
Gingko Gardens, located at 911 11th St. SE, is home to two live-in cats owned by owner Mark Holler. When he’s not busy with appointments and helping Hill residents choose the best landscaping choices for their gardens, the eponymously named Gingko and his mother Tuesday keep the mood at Gingko Gardens light. Both are huge hits with customers, many of whom, according to Holler, protested when the feline’s profiles were removed from the nursery’s website. “That’s pretty much what he does all day,” smiled Holler as Ginkgo lounged royally in his box on the front countertop. “Tuesday is a little smarter; she stays up in my office because it’s cooler there,” Holler remarked.

Tuesday is so named because she wandered into Gingko Gardens at seven o’clock in the morning on a Tuesday. She then had a litter of five kittens, one of whom was Gingko. The runt of the litter, Gingko is now an enormous tomcat who makes the front counter area by the cash register his home. “We managed to find homes on the Hill for the other four kittens in Tuesday’s litter,” said Holler.

Gingko Gardens is a surprisingly large and tremendously verdant nursery that boasts everything from tiny seedlings to flowering orchids. It is an oasis in the middle of the Hill that Gingko and Tuesday have truly made their own.

Duke and Ruby at Capitol Hill Bikes and Hoopla
Capitol Hill Bikes and Hoopla Traders are also graced with the presence of not one, but two “shop dogs,” as Denise D’Amour calls them. The owner of both establishments and both canines, Duke and Ruby, D’Amour and partner Laurie opened Capitol Hill Bikes in May of 2000, and shortly thereafter acquired Duke. “In early 2001, we saw an ad in the Hill Rag about adopting a dog from a no-kill shelter,” said D’Amour. “We picked up Duke, who while not the laid-back shop dog we were looking for, has provided us with a lot of laughs because of his dopiness. Ruby came to us about six months later from someone who was moving and couldn’t take her. She has taught Duke how to be a dog, and Duke has kept Ruby young. As it turns out, Ruby has turned out to be the shop dog we wanted.”

Due to their vastly different personalities, Duke and Ruby have equally different behavior patterns at Capitol Hill Bikes and Hoopla. “Duke is afraid of people because he was abused as a puppy,” D’Amour noted. When at the bike shop, he “pretty much stays in my office on the third floor.” Conversely, Ruby has become a “minor celebrity” at both of her owner’s Eighth Street establishments, especially at Hoopla, where she “greets customers and shamelessly leans into them for some petting,” remarked D’Amour.

Both dogs thrive in the shop’s bustling environment, and complement their owners’ vision for the store itself.

“Laurie and I opened CHB to create a bike shopping experience unlike the ones we encountered in the past. Our goal was and is to have a friendly, welcoming store that encourages people into cycling with an experienced staff to guide them along the way,” said D’Amour. Likewise, Hoopla exists within its own unique creative framework as a “socially conscious gift boutique” that sells “locally made or fair-trade products.” While each establishment caters to different target markets, they share close-knit bonds and friendships between coworkers that is only accentuated by Duke and Ruby’s presence.