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.
Dear Tulsa Pet Lovers,
If anyone drives down the 71
Often, 
Tawnie came to Tulsa from her native Kansas in 1999 and spent several years in commercial property management. She’d always longed to work with animals, in a hands-on way, so she started a research campaign on pet business possibilities. She discovered some other cities had pet taxi services, and the seed was planted. GoGo Pets opened in 2006, and just one year later Tawnie’s business has grown to the point that she’s hired Cindy Evans to help her GoGo the pets. 
Q
Q: I have a 15 year old lab female who’s in pretty good shape for her age. Lately, though, she’s developed this “cough.” She does it mainly in the mornings and recently it’s become more persistent. Should she be checked for this?
Q: My older dog has a nasty habit that could be medical-related. After she goes out to do her “business,” she comes back in a “scoots” across the rug. It’s especially embarrassing when guests are here. Is there anything I can do about this? 
Q: 
