Story by Pat Atkinson

Meet Tulsa’s first family’s first dogs, Willie and Flash, but, shhhhhh, don’t mention the word d-o-g to them.  It doesn’t apply here.  
Willie and Flash may look like d-o-g-s, but within the family of Mayor Kathy Taylor and husband Bill Lobeck these friendly furry guys rank right up there on the love scale with the couple’s children and grandchildren.

They are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Laid back Flash, 12, wears a tri-colored coat, hails from Virginia and is regally Southern, a bit aloof, and likes to observe the action usually from one of his beds strategically located around the house.  

On the other hand, tan and black Willie, 14, loves to work the crowd during parties (maybe part of his Texas heritage?), never meets a stranger, figures nowhere is off limits and looks like a toy sleeping on top of a soft sofa cushion in the center of the family activities.

They’re happiest while sleeping in their people’s laps or beds, greeting them at the door with wagging smiles, going for walks, eating mostly organic meals and treats, and each filling the role as Number One Fan of the Mayor.

During the Mayor’s campaign a couple of years ago, she looked forward daily to arriving  home to “love at the door.  The dogs were always happy to see me and that was great after a day spent debating or knocking on doors of strangers.”

True to their breed, Flash and Willie are affectionate, playful, intelligent lap dogs. Originally bred in Great Britain 400 years ago, the toy spaniels were pets of royalty and named because of a children’s pet in the household of Charles I. King Charles II decreed that the spaniels could not be banned from any public place, including Parliament, and they’re commonly seen in British historical paintings.

Willie & Flash are Mayor Taylor's Number One Fans

Flash and Willie are the latest of a long line of much-loved Taylor-Lobeck family pets including a Golden Retriever, a yellow Labrador, an Iguana and most recently a Miniature Pinscher “grand dog” who the Mayor agreed to baby sit for a few weeks this summer.  

Taylor is a “dog person” and considers the wellbeing of man’s best friends among her objectives in “Making Life Better” in Tulsa.  “I can’t imagine ever being without dogs,” she says.

“We have some health issues (affecting people) in Oklahoma and it’s important to encourage dogs as companions.  We’re increasing the size of our River Parks trails and improving our parks.

“Dogs can play an important part in the health of people – they lower stress, encourage people to get out and walk and exercise.  One of my objectives is a healthier work force both at City Hall and in general,” she explains.  “This will be a big push next year.”

Also expect to see changes at the City’s Animal Control facility.  Taylor plans to launch improvements based on review recommendations of a team from the Humane Society of the U.S.  

“We’ll take some first steps to make adoptions from the city shelter easier and treatment of the animals there more positive.”  

And, watch for a dog park in Tulsa’s future, too, in the tradition of one in Oklahoma City.  Locating land comes first.

But the heavy issues of city needs or corporate America are not the main topics of conversation when the couple shares dinner.  Their children are all out of the house now.  “A lot of the time we talk about Flash and Willie,” the Mayor says.

Dog stories abound – one morning Flash couldn’t be found as Taylor, then state Secretary of Commerce, prepared for the regular commute to Oklahoma City. They frantically searched for nearly two hours, but no Flash. Later, Lobeck called with the news that Flash emerged from an upstairs cabinet where he’d snoozed for 14 hours, then casually joined the rest of the family!

And, the one about Lobeck’s clever “invention” of a drilled-out cheese treat for hiding  Willie’s daily pill.  The pill went into the cheese, the cheese into Willie. Much later, while vacuuming and shifting furniture, a neat pile of pills was discovered under a chair, just where Willie had stashed the stack.

Meanwhile, Flash and Willie’s days are filled with their favorite activities – sleeping and greeting their people at the door, knowing it’s time for petting and lap-sleeping.

The Mayor says they remind her that “things aren’t ever as bad as they seem and they always make me happy.  Neither of them has ever met anyone they didn’t love and welcome.”

Nice.  Just don’t call them d-o-g-s, please.

Story by Pat Atkinson

Some area dogs and cats are at the top of their game, adding ‘fur-factor’ assets to the workplace.  A corporate bulldog, a Shih Tzu at school, and a couple of ‘flower children’ are on the job.

Pepper, the Great Pyrenees, and Ginger, the brown tabby, are the newest staff members at the year-old floral design shop in Broken Arrow.

True to the “flower child” lifestyle of the ‘60s, Pepper and Ginger are free-spirited and laid-back, living in the moment as they greet visitors.  They pretty much “do their own thing” while lounging, hunting, wagging, and adding the friendly, welcoming “pet-able” factor to the shop.  

As you’d expect, customers often enter and say “hello” to the big, furry white dog with dark gray markings before greeting the people.  It’s hard to overlook Pepper as she “decorates” the entry or is stretched out in the breezeway between the shop and work area where arrangements are created.

The flower shop is reminiscent of a European boutique tucked away on a peaceful cobblestone walkway in Amsterdam, an ambiance further enhanced by proprietors Janet and Johannes Lijs who came from the Netherlands – home to thousands of miles of tulips and other blooming bulbs.

Inside the white French doors topped by a bright red awning is an explosion of cheerful color from flowers to gifts. The shop is attached to Janet’s childhood home, so it’s a short commute to work on a footpath.

Both four-footed staff members were “signed on” when the couple visited an animal rescue group in search of a cat to adopt. 

“Ginger was adorable and we bonded with her right off,” Janet recalls.  While finishing paperwork for her to come home, they saw a “very large dog in a rather small cage,” went home with Ginger, thought about that big white dog, and returned the next day to adopt her.

Ginger’s brown tabby coat is accented with gold and orange and she greets visitors at the door or from rooftop perches. 

A sprinkling of dark spots characteristic of Pyrenees in Pepper’s coat contributed to her name, and the Lijs’ love of cooking inspired the spice-related names of both pets.

Janet says the pets are the shop’s “high earners with bonus rewards of toys, chew treats and even an occasional mouse!”  Pepper’s extra perk is sushi.  “She adores sushi and takes each piece apart and eats it one bit at a time.  Amazing for a huge dog, but she is quite accomplished.”

Pepper and Ginger’s job descriptions include greeting, wagging, sniffing, and submitting to petting from visitors of all ages.

“People are amazed that the pets respond to strangers so well, but that’s part of their job duties – to warm up and make welcome all newcomers.  They are both team players and make certain that Johannes and I are always sharp and ready for visitors,” Janet says.

During off-hours, Pepper shifts into guard mode and has a bark big enough to bring down the house, announcing any after-hours visitors.  She also loves to roam the trails of Turkey Mountain with her people or go on long car rides and picnics.