On my way to breakfast in our Juneau hotel, I met �Cutie�, a delightful Pekingese puppy. Right behind him came his owner, who introduced herself as Mama-san. She told me her story of �Cutie�, actually a male. She had no children but was a long time employee of the hotel. Her story continued - she is also allergic to dogs but the Pekingese breed has hair.

Turns out, last Christmas, the hotel bartender, a couple of other employees and some regular customers decided to get Mama-San a pet. They didn�t tell her they had gotten the dog for her. Instead they asked her to keep the Pekingese for a couple of days. Once they realized she had no allergic reaction to �Cutie,� they put a bow on him and told her that Cutie was hers.

Mama-San decided that since everyone called him Cutie, that would be his name. She�s trained him well. Right now, he�s going through the chewing stage, working his way through empty water bottles. He eagerly follows Mama-San while greeting customers with a wagging tail. Cutie understands commands in Korean as well as English.

And Mama-San is one very grateful, happy lady.


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