Oreck Boca Raton's Favorite Greeter

Happy National Dog Day! Over the 9 years I have owned the Oreck Store in Boca Raton, we have seen many changes, from the staff, physical location, product changes as well as a change in the industry in genteral. One thing had not changed over the past 9 years: Sasha.

Sasha was the friendly rottweiler that greeted (or terrified) you when you stepped in that front door. She may have greeted you with a ball in her mouth and a happy howl. Most likely, she licked your hand until you pet her, but when it was time to make your purchase, she always knew to let you be and allow you to pay for it.

So many customers loved Sasha, and some came into the store just to say hello to her. Our delivery people would give her treats, allow her in their trucks and she would bark as their trucks pulled up.

Sasha has been with me since she was 7 weeks old. She has been my constant buddy and we have been training with each other ever since.

She and I went through all the puppy training courses we could and she tested and earned her Canine Good Citizen certification at 6 months old. Then at 8 months old we started a Therapy Dog Training course. We became a certified therapy team when she tuned 1. She and I visited nursing homes, VA hospital, libraries and more together. We participated in choreographed dog dances and performances. We participated in Rally Obedience and then eventually Agility. She loved agility where she would run through tunnels and jump over jumps. She had Springs in her feet and she was very good at over-jumping. She would clear 24 inch jumps by a foot. The over jumping concerned me because it wasn’t ideal for a large dog's body and joints. So I decided to channel her jumping ability into yet another sport: Dock Diving. Sasha, at one point, was the furthest jumping Rottweiler in the country with her best jump of 18’ 1”.

She was quite the lover, her tongue is dangerous and she loved to give kisses when allowed. She enjoyed chasing squirrels and cats that would run away from her. She caught two in her lifetime, unfortunately they didn’t make it. Later one cat would have its revenge on her when she chased it...she tore her ACL. At almost age 10 she had to have knee surgery. After that, she went into the nice life of retirement . She became the best greeter at Oreck Boca Raton run by Vac MD.

Being a small business owner, I felt very fortunate that I was able to bring my dog to work with me every day. It is probably one of my favorite benefits of owning my own store.

Sasha has been nothing short of a blessing in my life and the life of everyone she met. Sasha went to the rainbow bridge on June 23rd. I can't believe it has already been 2 months. Not a day goes by when I don't think of her. For those of you who have dogs, give them big hugs. They truly make our lives exponentially better.