Dog Days of Mata

It's getting hot out there! The dog days of summer are upon us, but if you work in our office, the dog days have already been here for a while.

In the last year or so, our canine workforce has exploded! While our furry friends were originally brought to the office out of convenience and companionship, we soon discovered their talents were underutilized and put them to work.

You might be wondering how any work gets done with such a rag tag group of dogs in the office. Our secret? We have a schedule.

Meet the office dogs:

With a slim 10-month old figure, Denna is the perfect canvas to test out select Mata items. Her non-human proportions, while a bit challenging for dresses, serve as an ideal backdrop for our scarves! Although the air in our office is quite clean, Denna's tongue does a final check, every three seconds from 9am to 5pm. With a keen eye for home decor, Denna spends her weekends hanging artwork and tending to her vast succulent collection.

Gene is the office veteran, coming to Mata with 10.5 years of experience warming chairs. Throughout the summer, with a workplace containing sufficiently heated seats, Gene spends his time making sales calls. The language barrier was difficult at first, but Gene's previous experience selling snow to Eskimos was hard to ignore, and he has been a valuable addition to the team.

Whether it's a ball or a human, 2-year-old Reggie makes sure whoever/whatever comes through the door is properly investigated. Indoors, he carries around bones, balls, and food in an effort to assert his authority, but at the core he's a big softie who just wants to be loved. His future aspirations include taste testing at a local sandwich shop.

Sam is the calm, cool, and collected canine in our workspace, making his fur available for petting to any outstretched hand. Most often found sleeping on the floor or at his owner's feet, his stare invokes feelings of peacefulness and gratitude. In his free time, Sam has been improving his macrame skills and working on his yoga instructor certification.

Sesame is the newest baby of the office at a little over a year old! It took a while for us to realize where to put her talents to use at Mata, having kept her affinity for the zoomies hidden until she revealed herself as a play monster and the speed queen of the office. Sesame keeps things moving at work with an occasional lap around the room, but in her free time is learning to make homemade pasta and perfect her bocce game.

With a passion for fashion, Susie never hesitates to strut her stuff in a new raincoat or sweater. She's working on her measurement skills, but a lack of thumbs is proving to slow down progress. At 9-months old, she's the baby of the office, but with a full name like Susan B. (Bark) Anthony, you know this pup is going places.

Bella is all about snuggles and pets. Seems fitting that her job at Mata involves shaking hands and kissing babies – she’s the perfect Brand Ambassador! As a natural fur-model and socialite, you can find her scouting the crowds at festivals and bringing customers to our Andersonville Galleria location with a wink and happy grin. A regular in the Logan Square neighborhood, Bella spends her weekends exploring new brunch places and organizing citywide Catch tournaments.

Toby knows the importance of composting and recycling. After checking that our composting and recycling bins are appropriately filled, he takes some time for rest and relaxation. Toby's personality helps him easily befriend the entire dog crew, but he spends much of the day working on his second novel, a comedic mystery.