Stanley the cavoodle officially starts his day when he arrives at the DFG Legal office and wanders to the kitchen where he micromanages the opening and pouring of his kibble as well as the refilling of his water bowl.
He then heads to his office where he does a routine headcount of his subordinates – crocodile, reindeer, pig, cat and toucan who all reside in his fuzzy bed.
Stanley’s tight-run ship as well as his quirky nuances, dapper bowties and placid nature captured hearts across the nation which led to him being known as one of the top office dogs in the country, DFG Legal business development officer Samantha Jarrett said.
Stanley’s title as the state’s number one and third in the country was announced at the Oz Top Dog competition held at the end of August.
“This is Stanley’s second year in a row placing third in Australia,” Ms Jarrett said.
“And this year, he was the only WA entrant to place across all three categories – top office dog, top dog with a job and people’s choice.
“So, he is holding the fort for WA.”
Ms Jarrett said Stanley had many unique qualities but his two-legged walking skill was one to point out.
“Stanley brings this trick out as a rarity at times when walking on all-fours as an actual dog simply will not suffice,” she said.
“He will stand on his two hind legs and follow staff around, jumping on only those two hind legs until acknowledged.
“He can do this for far longer than any dog should be able to and it’s to the extent the human-in-disguise allegations seem to bare merit.”
Ms Jarrett said Stanley recently decided he wanted his favourite clients to stay in the office with him.
“Stanley often escorts our clients back out to reception after their meetings and then to the door to say goodbye and steal a couple of parting pats,” she said.
“One of our lovely clients, after being the subject of a few soft barks when reaching for the door handle after an appointment, realised those barks were in fact in protest and sat back down on our reception lounge, surrendering.
“Stanley has now realised he can do this and it works, and will try to keep his favourite clients with him in reception.”
Ms Jarrett said workplaces within the legal industry were inherently high-stress environments but Stanley’s presence was a relief for both staff and clients.
“Although Stanley is based in our Mandurah office, the entire team regularly receive photo updates by email, see him via Microsoft Teams and enjoy visits from him to the other offices from time-to-time,” she said.
“He usually makes his guest appearances at our Armadale office by strong request of our Armadale staff.
“Having him visit the offices where our staff are based and watching him interact with them in their own space is just that bit more special.
“It’s a case of both our staff members’ and Stanley’s faces lighting up together when they see each other, as Stanley has his own unique connections with our people.”
