Molly belongs to the shop’s owner Jared Raines and sometimes accompanies him to work.
She is a member of the Dogs of Kaiapoi Wall of Fame, which features 64 photos of canine cuties who have visited the shop with their owners.
Jared says the initiative began when his sister Keely Raines, who used to work at the shop, started bringing her two dogs to work with her to ease their separation anxiety.
"We got so many positive comments from customers and staff about the dogs being in the shop," Jared said.
The positive feedback intensified when Jared started bringing his family’s new puppy, who also could not be left home alone, into work.
Customers began asking staff if the shop was dog-friendly and Jared started to think it could be a good initiative to introduce.
While travelling overseas he had seen many dog-friendly shops where canines were welcome, alongside their owners, and thought it was a great initiative with many benefits.
"It was so cool. So we started welcoming people with their dogs into our shop too."
Soon after that staff members began photographing the dogs that came into the shop. The Dogs of Kaiapoi Wall of Fame was then born which is now a feature at the shop and is enthusiastically supported by visitors.
Keely no longer works at Paper Plus Kaiapoi in the restored former Bank of New Zealand building on the corner of Williams and Charles Sts. But her partner Sam Roberts, who runs the printing side of the business, still takes their two Brussels griffon dogs, Rocker and Booster, to work with him, although they are more likely to be found at the back of the shop with Sam.
Like Molly, they have become popular members of the Paper Plus team.
By Shelley Topp
