If you call up our office, don’t expect to speak with Ms. Demi or Mr. Cooper (although some telemarketers have tried to be clever and ask, at which point we promptly put them in a voicemail box that tangles them into a never-ending labyrinth of questions and required spoken answers, and that never recognizes what they say, until they give up, hang up, never to call again). Anyhow, Ms. Demi and Mr. Cooper do not exist, and never have—in human form anyway. Demi and Cooper were the four-legged friends of the owners who started the company. Charles Falls, the pres and founder of the company has a portrait of Cooper, one of the founding dogs, hanging in his office.
We are a dog-friendly company. This is obvious if you browse our website profiles and check out how many people feature or mention their pups. And if you visit our office, you know that we even have an honorary co-worker or mascot that “works” at the office every day—Indy, the friendly German Shepherd who retrieves office supplies for us and even has learned how to alert us when the printer ink is running low. She also brings us coffee to order. While most of that isn’t true, she is quietly there every day, and she is a good dog.
My husband Wally and I, who both work at Demi and Cooper, have two dogs: Ellie, a Chocolate Lab, and Buttercup, a Golden Retriever. Ellie loves Wally and her toys, and Buttercup loves Ellie and chasing her tail. Buttercup is not the smartest of dogs. Although Golden Retrievers are supposed to be the top of their training classes, she failed puppy school. Really. After a grueling 10 weeks of classes where Buttercup worked her hardest at distracting the other dogs and even the teacher at one point, we took the final test and were told to retake the course—not a surprise to any of us, by the way.
We have a one year old son (Walter Ben Ottenhoff V—big name for a little guy, but he carries it well). He loves to beat up on the dogs—especially Ellie. She tried avoiding it at first, but soon accepted it as inevitable and now lies calmly still while he pulls her ears, tail, and even her oversized jowl. He just sticks his hand right on her lip and gives a good tug. And she lies there and takes it, as though getting up and moving away has become too much of an effort.
I suppose my point is, although my dogs are good dogs, I don’t think all dogs are meant to be immortalized in a business name. Aside from the fact that Buttercup and Ellie Advertising doesn’t sound as cool, I’m just not sure what kind of confidence the dogs’ personalities would inspire. Buttercup and Ellie Advertising—We’re not so bright, and you can beat us up if you want.
Cooper lived a full life and passed a few years ago. From what I’ve heard, he also was a very good dog. Charles told the story once that when his kids were little, Cooper became their protector. If utility people came to work on the house, Cooper always positioned himself between the worker and the kids. While he was a nice dog, no one was going to have the opportunity to mess with his little ones. I never met Cooper, but that image alone shows me why he was honored with a business name. It stands for the kind of company I’d want to work for and with: Demi & Cooper Advertising—we’ve got your back.
The next time you talk to Charles, you can ask him for more stories about Cooper. I’m sure he’s got loads of them, as well as more recent stories about his current family dog, Calvin.
Be sure to give your family dogs a pat tonight from your friends at Demi & Cooper!