Wednesday, June 21, 2000
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The owners of Luna, Simon and Robin are taking their dogs to work on Friday for Pets.com Take Your Dog to Work Day. But this is nothing special for these exceptionally lucky dogs; their people take them to work every day at the Squirrel Hill office of GreenMarketplace.com.
Two of the dogs are owned by company founder and CEO Josh Knauer, who prides himself on running a child-friendly, dog-friendly office.
Luna, 7, is a 75-pound Belgian shepherd-mix, and Simon, 3, is a 55-pound black-and-tan "we don't know what kind of mix, but maybe some Doberman and some coonhound." Robin, 2, owned by Marla Ferkett, looks like a pit bull-Labrador retriever mix.
Knauer makes a point of saying that all three dogs were adopted from the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania "and it's important for people to know you can get really nice dogs from shelters."
Twelve people work at the company Knauer, 27, started after he graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. Dogs come to work -- and another employee brought her baby to work for nine months so that she could breast-feed -- "because it is important to create an environment conducive to high productivity," Knauer said.
"We walk our dogs several times a day, which is good for us and good for the dogs, who are celebrities" in the Forbes and Murray avenues shopping district. "The rest of the time, the dogs lie around on dog beds made from recycled soda bottles."
The beds are one of the products they sell.
Check out the Web site at http://www.greenmarketplace.com. It's full of environmentally friendly products, including body and skin care, nontoxic detergents and pet items.
About 2,000 companies across the country have notified Pets.com that they will allow employees to bring dogs to work on Friday. GreenMarketplace.com is the only Pittsburgh company to sign on.
And speaking of Pets.com, how 'bout their mascot?
He's cute, cuddly and adorable, and everyone wants him. A San Francisco businessman paid $20,100 for the original, making him arguably the highest-priced sock in the world.
Yes, he is a sock with mismatched button eyes. Since the Pets.com ad campaign was launched last August, the company has received more than 10,000 e-mails and phone calls about him.
Fans request his appearance at weddings and ask him to take part in graduation videos. He's appeared on multiple national television shows, including Good Morning America. And of course, fans have asked how they could get their very own sock puppets.
The original brown-and-white-spotted sock dog was auctioned off on Amazon.com for $20,100, with proceeds going to animal-related charities. Now they're available for $20. The puppet can be ordered online at http://www.pets.com. Expect to see clothing, desktop accessories, toys and novelties in stores sometime this summer.
The sock puppet press kit describes Pets.com as "a leading online provider of pet products, information and resources."
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