Norman’s human is Mary Phillips, Pawsh Dog Wash Owner. Like a lot of shelter dogs, he had a rough start in life as a bait dog in a dog-fighting house. His trust toward people was non-existent and at the time; his fate to be euthanized had been decided. Mary, a student in Veterinary Technician school at the time, came upon Norman and he greeted her as any dog with his background would: he attacked her. In that situation a lot of people would have agreed he should be euthanized or was unfit to be part of the pet-world. Instead, Mary saw a dog that had been so wronged he didn’t even know how to function properly and saw everything as something to be feared. It took some time, and a lot of paperwork, but Norman came home with her. It took months of building trust and years of rehabilitating to get Norman to where he is at now. Of course his trust toward people is always going to be uncertain but what used to be an immediately reactive dog now only takes a few moments before becoming your friend. Just like anyone else, he has his grumpy days, but he will always be working toward being a happy dog.
It’s through having Norman that Mary realized all dogs have a story and not all dogs are the same. Each dog out there has to be handled a specific way and most businesses lump all dogs into a happy-go-lucky man’s best friend group. That is not the case. With opening Pawsh Dog Wash, the idea to provide an environment where all dogs are welcomed and all dogs can be cared for within their own personality is the primary goal. No dog owner should be judged or treated differently just because their dog’s personality suits them but not the rest of the dog world. We love our happy dogs, our fearsome dogs, the butterfly brain dogs, the lazy dogs, and yes-even the aggressive dogs. All dogs require good hygiene and maintenance; they should not be neglected just because of their behavior. Nor should a dog ever be judged when all dogs have a different story and all dogs deserve to be loved.
