Not every dog spends his days chewing bones, sleeping, barking and generally being a dog. Some dogs work for a living and that includes a recent acquaintance, Hairy Putter. Hairy, a Cairn terrier, is the spokesdog for all things canine in Mendocino County.
I first noticed Hairy as the Skunk Train traveling from Willits to Ft. Bragg pulled in and there was Hairy, in typical dog head-out-the-window mode. After a quick trip to a nearby tree, Hairy spent the lunch-hour break visiting with admirers, being petted and generally enjoying the limelight. Soon it was time for Hairy to go back to work, posing for photos in the engineers seat on board the historic train.
Not only does Hairy travel with his owner, Alan Ahtow, as the official canine ambassador but he has also appeared on television and print campaigns, appeared at fundraisers and even worked the runway at fashion shows. Wherever you go in Mendocino County you'll find a photo of Hairy. He's got his own greeting card line and is the main attraction in the county's publication "Pet Friendly Travel in Mendocino County."
Hairy's even got his own Web site and blog at www.HairysBlog.com and, of course, you can be friends with Hairy on Facebook.
