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Success Story: Teddy the Barbershop Dog

“He has been the best addition to my business and my personal life,” said Lachance

Inside a Connecticut barbershop, there’s a doggy in the window — he’s a star named Teddy.

The famous pup spends his days at Paulie’s Professional Barber Shop in South Windsor, waiting to greet arriving customers.

“He's a barber dog,” said shop owner, Paulie Lachance. It’s a title Teddy the Dog takes very seriously.

Along with a trim or shave, customers get a haircut companion. Tom Aiello said that’s one reason he loves to stop by.

“I think it's fantastic. He's one of the team guys,” said Aiello.

Teddy is a terrier mix who joined Lachance’s family back in October 2013. His story, however, wasn’t always a happy one. Teddy was found roaming a field in Tennessee, starving and eating mice after he was tossed out of a car. 

“They said he was emaciated. He was very, very thin, skin and bones," Lachance recalled.

Teddy was sent to Connecticut to live with a foster family who happened to be one of Lachance’s clients.

"I told him I had always wanted a shop dog, and the guy almost fell out of the chair. He's like, 'I got the perfect dog for you,'" said Lachance,

Fate and an adoption event brought the two together.

“He has been the best addition to my business and my personal life,” said Lachance.

Lachance credits Teddy with keeping his business booming. He said nine out of 10 people are at his shop to see Teddy, and the haircut is just a bonus.

“People walk by the shop every day and honestly just make their way in here just to say 'Hi' to the dog,” said Nick LaRusso, an employee at the barber shop.

The barbers at a Paulie’s Professional Barber Shop admit Teddy is tough competition. He takes his tips in treats, has the most clients and is pretty much famous.

“He is a celebrity! I joke all the time that I am going to run him for mayor and I think he could win,” said Lachance.

Elected official or official barber shop dog, there is no doubt this pup is proof that a rescue animal can reach new heights and our hearts.

“You got all the love you can handle and you are saving a life,” said Lachance.

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