Leo

Leo came to live at The Dexter Mill 8 years ago, when he was just 6 months old.  A Dexter Mill employee named Marshall  had a litter of barn cats that needed homes and convinced John Cares (then the owner) that the mill needed a cat.  There were 3 boys and 1 girl needing homes.  One employee took the little girl, John took 2 of the boys to his farm and Leo came to live at the mill. 

He took to people right away, sitting on the counter, stretching as customers pet him and cooed to him. He had free reign of the place, day and night. He didn’t seem in a rush to go outside.  The door to the store was constantly opening and closing, but Leo seemed content to experience life inside the store.  After a couple of months his interest in the outside world grew.  Employees were concerned that he would run into the road or get lost and not return.  They tried to put a harness and a leash on him to maintain some sort of control. It was a disaster and Leo made it clear this was not going to work.  He started to explore the world around him and thankfully always stayed close and never ventured near the road. Leo knows that when closing time rolls around he will be rewarded for coming back into the store with his favorite canned food, Fussie Cat.

When he was very young, Kerry McGuire (his undeniable favorite human) got in the habit of throwing him over her left shoulder (she is right handed, so this would allow her to continue to work) when she needed to make room on the counter.  To this day, he loves to be carried over the shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  If someone accidentally tries to put him over their right shoulder, he squirms and wiggles until he is put down. He has been known to surprise unsuspecting customers that lean over to talk to him by jumping from the floor up to their left shoulder.

Leo’s favorite lounging spots in the store include the counter (right in the middle of all of the action), the bags of raw peanuts in the bird food section, the stacks of dog food in the back and finally any dog bed or shirt, or pair of pants on the lowest shelf.

Leo has many fans that come to the Mill just to see him.  He loves children and often follows them around the store, rubbing up against their legs, begging for attention, leading them to his food dish in the hopes they will treat him to some more food.  Many customers bring their dogs to the store and for those that get too close, Leo will remind them with a swat to the nose that it is his store.

What Leo does at night all alone in the store is anybody’s guess, but often we come in to find his entire toy drawer open with his favorites strewn about.  He has dragged dog chews to the front of the store and gnawed on them.  Products have been found off the hook and on the floor.  Sunday’s are Leo’s day off.  The store is closed and he has the run of the place.  

Welcoming Leo to the store was the best decision ever!