Dogs bring joy, comfort to local city offices

Lulu, head of security

Carnation City Manager Rhonda Ender brings her dog, Lulu, to work most days.

Lulu is a 15-year-old Havanese who came into Ender’s life as a young puppy. Now, she’s known not just around City Hall, but around town as well.

“People are just delighted to see her,” Ender said. “And I think it makes it very welcoming.”

Before starting as city manager in 2023, Ender had a hybrid job, and Lulu got used to having someone around. Ender was excited to find that Carnation is a dog-friendly environment — as was Lulu.

“She loves coming to work. Literally in the morning, she knows,” she said. “I’m dressed for work, and she goes to the back door.”

Lulu’s spot in Ender’s office now includes a “Head of Security” name tag, a purely ironic title, Ender said, because the senior dog rarely even barks.

Lulu makes a good office dog because of her “humanistic approach,” Ender said.

“She thinks she’s another person walking around, so she has a lot of personality in that way,” she said. “And she personalizes sort of how she wants attention from people. Somebody here, she likes to be chased by them. Somebody else, she wants to go there and sit and be pet. … According to the person, she seeks different kinds of attention.”

On days when Ender is busy or has to leave the office, her fellow staff have no problem stepping in to watch Lulu — most of all, administrative clerk Patti Edfast. Lulu has a second bed under Edfast’s desk, and Edfast has cared for Lulu when Ender is out of town.

Edfast adores Lulu, and Lulu has chosen Edfast as a playmate.

“Our routine is I get here in the morning, she comes to see me right away, and then I chase her around,” Edfast said. “She won’t really let me hold her, she won’t let me pick her up. Even at my house, I’ll try to get her, and she runs away from me.”

Edfast said Lulu “plays really hard to get,” but it seems to have worked.

“She just really touched my heart,” she said.

Perhaps even bigger than the joy, Lulu brings a sense of ease to the staff who interact with her.

“It’s huge. It’s really big,” Edfast said of Lulu’s impact on her mental well-being. “Sometimes it’s super busy up here, and she’ll be sitting here with me, and I just look at her, and I’m just happy.”

Harley, office therapist

North Bend’s Administrative Services Director Lisa Escobar always has her dog, Harley, by her side. As of last fall, Harley is not just a joy to have around the office, but is also a certified emotional support animal.

Even before that, he was “everybody’s blood pressure lowering mechanism,” Escobar said.

“He’s very zen,” she said. “When there are a lot of things going on, you look at him and he’s just either staring right at you, making really good eye contact, or he’s sleeping. … He can read the room, and he does pick up when other people are stressed.”

Harley, a mix of Australian Shepherd, German Shepherd and Poodle, will be 3 years old in March.

Like Lulu, Harley has preferred people for certain activities. Brandi Cavallo, a permit technician and planning assistant, said Harley knows that she will likely have snacks at her desk.

“That’s probably why Harley usually loves me so much,” she said. “Atmosphere wise, honestly, it’s just pure joy, like it’s so much fun. He just runs around and just loves everybody. … And that’s just happiness. I mean, how can you be in a bad mood when you see that little bundle of joy running around?”

Caitlin Hepworth, an associate planner, said she similarly loves having animals in the office.

“It really brightens my mood every day to see Harley,” she said. “It’s really therapeutic to have dogs in the office.”

On Fridays, it’s “Dog Day” in City Hall, and other staff members bring their dogs in, as well. Bre Keveren, communications manager, said North Bend is a dog town, and the city tries to be dog friendly in and out of City Hall.

She agreed that Harley is good for the mental well-being of staff and visitors.

“He literally calms you,” she said. “I’ve noticed at the beginning of Citizens Academy, when it’s new … there are people who don’t want to talk to us. But to Harley, they’ll go right to him.”

When there is stress or discomfort in the air, staff members know Harley is there to help.

“He communicates with humans in a different way, and that reaches more people,” Keveren said. “Not everyone really wants to communicate with people, or they feel uncomfortable, or they’re dealing with something we know nothing about, that’s not our business. And then this guy comes in, and he’s really wonderful.”