Five years of photos

On May 15, my employer of almost five years announced they were going into liquidation. 

We were originally told we'd be open sixty, maybe ninety, days. It's been almost one hundred and five. Most of that time has been extremely busy, but this past week - which is also the last week - has been slow, slow, slow.

To keep myself occupied, I started going through my phone and looking at all the pictures I've taken at Dover.

Lordy, I take so many photos.

It's way too many, but some of them need to be shared.

It's actually a requirement.

So here's five years of Dover in pictures, starting with the first picture I took while working, or at least the first picture I took and did not delete.

I started in 2021, which was late pandemic. Masks were still a thing.

Here's a look at some of the products we carried.

All of those items arrived in boxes. Dealing with boxes was a huge part of my job.

Handled without care.

Although not locally owned, our store had deep ties in the local horse community. This collage shows photos from some of our events and community outreach.

The Dover daily.

A few of my favorite customers.

This guy, too.

And it wasn't just people who came to Dover. Over the years we saw a million dogs,

multiple turkeys,

one kitten,

one goat,

several parking lot horses,

and one amazing kangaroo.

Of course, the ultimate Dover animal was my boss's standard poodle, Puppy.

I took so many pictures of Puppy.

I always joked that she was my favorite co-worker, but I actually love all the human staff, too.

Working hard.

Hardly working.

I also found pictures from the week I worked at the Sacramento store...

as well as pictures taken at Dover before I tied on my employee apron.

The saddest pictures are from the last week or two.

Tomorrow is the very last day. I don't know exactly how it will go down, but I guarantee, there will be pictures.

Last Thursday

For the last five years, I've worked a different schedule every week.

But for the last three years at least, I have worked every Thursday. 

That has been my one permanent shift.

Today is my last Thursday.

I'm taking it kind of hard.

Although I will be going in on Saturday to help with final arrangements, today is also my last "normal" shift.

I'm taking that really hard, too.

It's been a good five years.

I'm sad to see it come to an end.

Almost wordless Wednesday

I wasn't the only one who came home from our four Target odyssey with a jar of MiniVerse Milk-Bone Mini's. Alexey also couldn't resist. Which means, Tang was also required to take photos with the tiny bones. Good boy, Tang!

Mini Mini's

We go through a lot of dog biscuits in this house. 

Too many, really.

I have tried and failed to get Seth to cut back. Eventually, I just started buying the smallest, lowest calorie treats I could find.

Cue the Milk-Bone Mini's.

Piper is small and not terribly food motivated, but there was a time when we had two bigger, hungrier dogs. To satisfy their - and his own - needs, Seth set up a Chewy auto-ship for the Milk-Bone Mini's jugs.

Around the same time, he decided the jugs made perfect storage containers for all his various RC plane parts and pieces.

I am not exaggerating when I say my house is filled with Milk-Bone Minis

This is why - as soon as I became aware of their existence - I needed the MiniVerse Milk-Bone Mini's.

Needed.

Fortunately, Alexey was there to help me with that. 

I have my mini Mini's, and they are delightful.

Look at them!

Of course, I had to show them to Piper.

She was deeply unimpressed.

"Please don't make me pose with that."

"Okay, I guess."

"I'm a good girl."

Best non-food motivated dog ever.

Because I could, I also took a picture of the Milk-Bone Mini's with a slightly more in scale white dog.

Thank you again, Alexey and Tori, for including me in the Balls of Joy and Miniatures Odyssey. I really, really needed these Milk-Bone Mini's!