STAFF FEATURE: DOGS EDITION - MEET STORM AND GAMBIT

February 11, 2021

Baggins has always had a soft spot for animals and honestly believe that both customers and staff are more relaxed and having fun when a furry friend is lurking around. Some of you may remember Fraidy Cat, our adored shop cat, who passed away in 2015 at the grand ol’ age of 20 years old. While we remained pet-less for a while, in 2017 our director adopted a dog (Storm) and shortly after a second (Gambit). Check out the interview with Storm and Gambit, Baggins’ resident dogs, translated by their caring owner and Baggins co-owner Tara Savrtka.

Hey Dogs! Introduce yourselves:

This is Storm and Gambit. Storm is turning 4 years old on March 7^th and Gambit is about 3.5 years old. Storm is an Australian Cattle Dog or blue heeler as they’re more commonly known, Gambit is a Pitbull/Husky (our best guess) Cross.

How did the dogs enter your life and join the Baggins team?

Storm came from a breeder in central BC, my husband specifically sought out her breed as our first dog. Heeler’s are working dogs and very energetic. He wanted a very smart dog we could take camping and hiking.

Gambit on the other hand, came from a rescue. I immediately fell in love and knew he was coming home. The momma was unable to take care of them, so he and his six siblings had been in foster care from 5 weeks old.

Both dogs came to work with me as young puppies so that we could get them socialized with people, the downtown core and ensure they got bathroom breaks until they were old enough to stay home all day. Storm transitioned to a part-time store dog with no issues and comes to the warehouse twice a week now. Gambit on the other hand ended up being a special case. He was extremely ill as a young puppy and required a lot of care and devotion, and as a result, comes to work every day to this day because he has some separation anxiety and needs more regular care.

How did you get your names?

Storm got her name based on her colouring, we wanted something that fit her personality and looks but also wasn’t the most common name. Gambit was named because of Storm, while Storm’s name didn’t immediately come from the X-men we felt like we could incorporate a theme and Gambit is my husband’s favourite of the X-men.

What are your favourite things to do?

Storm loves to play frisbee or ball, the best thing about coming to work is all the people who will throw the ball for her. She also loves the water and hikes. She’s also particularly good at giving dad kisses daily.

Gambit loves his ball; he doesn’t want to play with it but wants to hold it in his mouth and show everyone who comes by. He also loves cuddles and getting to sleep in the bed with Mom. He’s a momma’s boy 100%.

What’s the best thing about being store dogs?

While they don’t go to the store as much since we moved our warehouse, they love seeing the staff and getting pets. Everyone is eager to play with them and give them some love.

What do the staff think?

Whenever the dogs aren’t around, it’s a bit too quiet, you can tell something’s missing and the staff let me know. During the beginning of COVID-19, my husband was laid off, so they stayed home with him and it didn’t feel right at work.

What your favourite Baggins-Dog memory?

Gambit loved to sit in office chairs near you when he wasn’t 98lbs and would fall asleep there just waiting for you to give him some more love.

Storm would get jealous and want an office chair as well, so they constantly played musical chairs.

Storm also spent time outside of work with Baggins employees on their days off and was just so cute that no one could say no to hanging with a puppy.

Well, there you have it, Gambit and Storm, the Baggins Store dogs. You can find them chilling at the warehouse during the week. They’ll never say no to a good scratch or a quick session of playing ball.