At Martin Waymire, we’re extremely proud of the culture we’ve created — we routinely talk about our dedication to work/life balance (our summer half-day Fridays can attest to this), being healthy and active (Tuesday run/walks, holla!) and flexible scheduling (working remotely FTW), but we have to paws for a second and talk about arguably one of the most important aspects of our company: office dogs.
Our resident canines have been climbing the corporate ladder for some time now. Come into the office on any given day and there are sure to be at least three adorable doggos here to greet you. (You’re sure to endure the occasional barking or licking, but don’t let Dave bother you.) Don’t be fooled — our office dogs have more responsibility than simply being adorable (which they are). In fact, these puppers have some lofty duties including: boosting office morale, reducing stress and increasing productivity.
James
James is a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, regal AF and knows it. He considers each chair in the office his personal throne and his first duty each day is zipping through the office to greet everyone. You can find him napping in a chair, inviting himself to client meetings, stealing dog food from a sleeping Luca and invading personal boundaries (and desk space) in order to look out windows on any given day.
He loves spooning with his mom Andrea and chasing squirrels and sporting the occasional turtleneck sweater on a chilly day.
Luca
Luca is Martin Waymire’s genial giant, a lug of a Lab who ghosts around the office looking for a little luv. Not much… just a pat or two, then he returns to his “kennel,” which is his bed in David’s office, or under his desk curled into an impossibly small ball for a 110-pound-plus hound.
Reasonably well mannered, his size can still be intimidating to unsuspecting mail carriers, Jimmy John deliverers and others who open the door to deep bark and oversized head. His tail and broad backside can be dangerous to small folks of all ages, sometimes knocking them down. But face licks invariably follow, his way of apologizing for the transgression.
Luca loves being part of the Martin Waymire pack. He doesn’t play the seniority (he’s been at Martin Waymire longer than his compadres) or size card to be the Alpha, but he’s not above placing his heavy paw on one of the smaller dogs if they get too frisky. And when it comes to his paws, I can guarantee you, there’s no problem.
Benji
Benji is a 9-year-old Shih Tzu/terrier mix, but his mom says he’s 100 percent cute. His main responsibilities in the office are keeping intruders at bay with his bark that is much larger than he is and playing with his friend, James. His favorite pastimes include looking out the window for hours on end, sleeping in, visiting Hawk Island Dog Park and making new friends.
Mya
Mya is a 9-year-old Labrador and border collie mix who was adopted by a family who was promised by the local shelter she was half-beagle and would be approximately 30 pounds. 75 pounds later, this lovable cuddle-bug has a high tolerance for small dogs aggressively biting her face and toddler’s relentlessly rough-housing.
Mya poo is a big fan of long walks, frolicking in the water and human food and she dislikes fur/teeth brushing and nail trims.
Einstein
Einstein Poole is a 6-year-old Havanese mix and has been with MW since 2014. His typical day at the office involves napping next to his mom Andie and barking anytime anyone walks into the room. He also loves walks, especially with his little sister Elliot.
Lucy
Lucy is with the Martin family. She’s a Vizsla (vee-shlaw), a gentle, caring, highly affectionate and loyal breed of hounds who are also high-energy and persistent hunters. At the Martin Waymire office (a nearly century old house in downtown Lansing) you will find her prowling for mice. She also climbs trees: you can see her ascending one while hot on the trail of an escaping squirrel during a hike at Boyne Mountain. (Annoyingly, she has not yet figured out how to get down.)
