Winter 2024

Working Dogs BY MICHAEL CHATFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLI ULDALL 92 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 Daisy and Willow Y ellow Lab Daisy has been working at Monterey Zoo for a couple of years now, but at 5 months old, Willow, the Pembrook Welsh Corgi, is new to the job. “We use the dogs to help raise orphan baby animals that come to the zoo,” says Charlie Sammut, owner of the zoo with his wife Lisa. It turns out that lots of zoos employ canines for this purpose. “They need to be tough, strong minded, maternal and outgoing to be good companions for these babies. So far, our dogs have nurtured leopard, tiger, kangaroo and bear infants.” And by all accounts, Willow is showing great promise in her new career. Daisy and Lemon W hen Lemon was a little over 2 years old, her human, Chris Powers, decided she should have a friend. And along came Daisy, now 5 months old. Both Bassets spend their days with Powers in his print shop and business incubator, The Shop. “They go hard all day,” he says. “Both of them get covered in ink, drag stuff around and cause a ruckus.” It’s easy to see how these pups can quickly get their droopy ears covered in ink, but they’re so cute and lovable, no one minds. “A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of.” ~ Ogden Nash