Whether you’re shopping for unique and handmade gifts or plants, don’t be surprised to be greeted by a furry friend.

At Eternal Light Creations in Powell there’s Titus, a gentle standard poodle who is currently living his best life as a giraffe (courtesy of a carefully crafted hairdo.) Titus has been coming to the store since its opening in 2021.

“​​We got him when he was a year old, and I was going through chemo at the time, and he’s never left my side,” owner Stacey Atkinson said. “He’s very attached to me, I think I’m just as attached.”

Atkinson opened the store a year after she finished treatments for her cancer and Titus was by her side in the shop on opening day as he is most days.

“He likes to greet everybody with a ferocious bark,” Atkinson said while adding with a smile, “he’s very friendly.”

Titus comes  into the shop because of his anxiety but he is also Atkinson’s companion. When she is overwhelmed, taking time to be with him also helps calm her down.

Other dogs are also present at Eternal Light, namely Woody, a young corgi, who due to his energy (he once tried to run out the front door) often stays in the back. Occasionally Woody and Titus are accompanied by two more poodles.

“[Dogs are] just enjoyable to have around, and the attention he gets from people, he absolutely loves it,” Atkinson said. “I actually have kids that come in here just to see him.”

Once some elementary age girls came to the store with their mom looking for Titus. He wasn’t in that day, so they walked right back out, Atkinson said.

For customers, Titus brings joy, she added; even when she’s driving and he hangs his head out the window it tends to brighten people up. 

At Pollen Landscapes in Cody, Dahlia the black cat is often found frolicking in the flowers and entertaining customer’s young children. 

Owner Kendra Morris adopted Dahlia from the shelter along with one other cat in the winter of 2023 to handle a mouse problem. One cat has since gone missing but Dahlia lives at the business and is a homebody, Morris said.

When they first adopted Dahlia she “huddled under the bench for like two weeks, and then finally, one day, she’s like, ‘OK I guess I’m OK, and she was super, super friendly,’ Morris said. 

Dahlia is very good with kids, and like Titus, some little kids will come just to pet her. Another little boy will lay out a trail of treats for Dahlia to follow.  She doesn’t scratch and is very patient, Morris said.

A photo of a girl holding Dahlia from behind by the arm pits serves as hilarious proof. 

But she is sassy, and will let out a “terrible meow” if petting ceases while she is lying on the counter.

“She’s just very special to us,” Morris said. “She’s just great to have around, she’s great company.”