Husky News

One can even say Timber is probably the only one of its kind as office greeters go. And that's not only because of his gigantic stature. Timber happens to be a four-footed canine friend, a gray and white — mostly gray — Alaskan Malamute that stands an imposing five feet on his hind legs and easily tips the scale at 103 pounds.

If you've ever been to Pets & Pals in Lathrop, chances are you've already met Timber.

He's the agency's unofficial greeter and is not on the payroll. But he works just as hard and is just as friendly as the rest of the staff, including Director Sue Molen.

One can even say Timber is probably the only one of its kind as office greeters go. And that's not only because of his gigantic stature. Timber happens to be a four-footed canine friend, a gray and white — mostly gray — Alaskan Malamute that stands an imposing five feet on his hind legs and easily tips the scale at 103 pounds.

How big a presence does Timber have in the animal shelter's office and, well, throughout the facility? Molen will tell you.

"He's like the office manager here. He rules the place," Molen laughed.

According to the story given by Timber's previous owner, the friendly and gentle giant canine had lived for a while in Korea with his American owner who was there on business assignment. When the businessman returned to the United States, he moved into an apartment that did not allow pets. So he took Timber to Pets & Pals and that's been his home the last two years.

Timber didn't get assigned to his unofficial job merely because of his looks or size. He earned it. It was a sort of trial-and-error process, Molen said.

In the beginning, she said, "I started taking him home with me."

But whenever she came to work at Pets and Pals, Timber also went with her. It was during that time that Molen noticed Timber's special talents. He did not growl at people.

"He's so good-natured and he doesn't bother the cats and the kittens" as most dogs do, Molen pointed out.

When someone drops off a feline pet at the shelter, for instance, "as I look at the kitten, he's just sniffing it," she said.

"He doesn't want to hurt them. Even the little puppies that come in, he's very good with them. He's just gentle."

The only thing Timber needs to learn is sharing his toys.

"He has a basket of toys in the conference room. It's a huge basket and it's filled. There are probably 30 things in there," Molen said.

Sometimes, a little dog will go in the room and will take one of the toys. When other dogs do that, Timber is right on their tail. Once the other dogs drop the toys, Timber will immediately pick them up and put them back in his toy basket.

"We need to work on the sharing," Molen said with a laugh.

Other than that, Timber is a great office greeter. And no, he doesn't welcome visitors with a bark. He just stands on his hind legs, puts his huge front paws on the swinging door next to the counter and gives the guests a big welcome smile.

Some people, overwhelmed by his sheer size at first, will initially take a step back as soon as he does that, then ask if he's friendly.

Otherwise, "everybody just loves him," Molen said.

There's just one job perk that none of Timber's human counterparts can't do.

When he gets tired around mid-afternoon or before then, he simply plops down on the floor to rest and no amount of prodding or delectable dog biscuits will get him back to work. That's when he really leads a dog's life.

Source: Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin