Some Say Royer Labs Has Gone to the Dogs…
They were right.
When Royer was much smaller, with about six people working in the building right behind my house, I had a German Sheppard named Shadow. She was the queen of the place and always wanted to be wherever we all were. We gave her the title of CEO – Chief Eating Officer. She was a very sweet dog and everyone enjoyed her company and looked forward to being greeted by her when they showed up to work. When we had to move to a larger facility, I couldn’t bear to leave Shadow home alone so she came to work with me. She was used to being with the team and us with her, so it was an easy fit.
One day one of the employees asked if they could bring their dog to work too. I was bringing my dog so why not them too, right??
I acquiesced and agreed, then it wasn’t long before another someone else asked, then another, and another… you can guess what happened. For years we’ve had anywhere from five to eight dogs roaming Royer freely, going from office to office looking for handouts, a kind of Trick-Or-Treating for dogs. Visitors are often surprised at all the pups, but the dogs win them over and they often end up talking about what a great place it must be to work.
We all feel like Royer wouldn’t be the same wonderful environment without our K9 companions. It’s a tradition now, and a win-win situation for them and for us.
-Rick, President, dog dad
Meet Our Hardworking Pups
MAIKA
Title: Chief Instigator
Fun fact: She has destroyed 6 tv remotes
I am often asked how we found Maika. When our twelve-year old shepherd named Tarah passed away, we looked for a companion for our dog named Tosca, so we rescued Maika when she was eight-weeks old. She came from a farm in San Diego along with her brother after her owners surrendered the litter. We wanted a female so we chose her. One of her siblings lives close by, so they get into trouble together occasionally. All in all, Maika is a good girl but a bit of a challenge, but who isn’t up for a little challenge now and then?
-Rick
JACK
Title: Head of Security
Fun fact: Jack has 2 color whiskers left side is white and right side is black. Jack is named after Jack White the singer for the White Stripes.
Jack came into our lives at 6 months old. Upon meeting him he did a down dog and rolled on to his back to get a belly rub. Jack was only supposed to stay for the weekend, but our family fell in love with him, and he never left. He has demanded belly rubs since. Jack has always been an office dog his previous position was Chief Morale Officer. He got his current title as Head of Security from his enthusiastic alarm whenever the mailman comes by the office.
-Dianne
GEE
Title: Tummy in chief
Fun fact: Gee has the softest ears in the world (don’t look that up)
On father’s day 2021, my family and I were interrupted by a white snout sniffing under the gate. When I opened the gate to see what it was, we saw this little black dog with a white face and paws sitting and staring up at us as if asking if we could help him. The dog was very dirty, flea-bitten, scared, and seemed as if he had been abandoned. As I reached down to pet him, he immediately leapt onto the property from his sitting position and began chasing me around my car as I checked to see where his allegiance would follow. I then heard, “Well, it looks like you’ve got a dog now” from my brother-in-law. I called the Pasadena Humane Society to come get him, PHS arrived 3 days later but it was too late, Gee had already taken ownership of me, as we were already hanging out going to coffee shops and bonding heavily over dog walks and play time. The name Gee (Guy in French -pronounced Ghee) had been strongly suggested by my niece and brother-in-law. They said it was the name that my sister, who had recently passed days earlier, had always wanted to bestow on a dog of her choosing in their house full of cats. Given the rare coincidence of him choosing to adopt me during this very trying time within our family (additionally, it had also been five years after my father’s death), it was clear that Gee’s arrival was no mere coincidence at all, and that he had chosen our family. Two years later, Gee is thriving with a couple of whole new families that absolutely adore him, and that he contributes an equal amount of adoration and joy reciprocally. Even the six-year-old that he had formerly lived with says he looks happier! He is precious cargo, and it would be difficult to imagine my life without him now.
Thanks, Sis. -Tony
ZOEY
Fun Fact: Zoey lays down while she eats and despite being nearly 60Lbs, Zoey has smaller ears than most dogs
Job Title: Office Mom
Zoey was taken in as a stray out near the Ventura pier. She was pregnant and due when we saw her at the local animal shelter. Her deep brown eyes and thumping tail caught our attention, and we wanted to adopt her. The shelter told us we would have to adopt her AND all 9 of her puppies if we wanted her. We worked with a rescue group CARL (Canine Adoption and Rescue League) to pull Zoey and her 9 pups. A foster Mom out of Ventura cared for the 10 dogs while Zoey nursed and raised the puppies until they were weaned and able to thrive without Mama Zoey. We joke as Zoey was still a puppy herself and was not the best Mom, often only feeding her favorite or picking them up and tossing them to get them to play with her. Zoey has been going to Royer every day since about 2011, and still has her playful energy and motherly instincts. -Gabe
SORRY
Fun Fact: She is the smallest dog in the office.
Title: Princess
Sorry was found near the border between Mexico and California and brought to Cali to live a life full of love. She is the office princess. She loves salty foods like cheese and is always the best dressed.
-Oscar
TOSCA
Job Title: Social Media Influencer
Fun Facts: Tosca sleeps on her back with her 4 legs up in the air.
Westside German Shephard Rescue picked up Tosca and her sister near a farm in central California in September 2014. They had been abandoned and were found roaming the rural roads. At that time, I was a frequent volunteer at Westside walking dogs and bringing food. I heard from other walkers about a sweet new pup, named Tosca, who had just arrived at the rescue and rumor had it that she would be very desirable and likely adopted soon. I immediately volunteered to take Tosca out of her crate and walk with her, little did I know that later when I volunteered to foster her for a few days, she would never leave. From day one, Tosca is a sweet and easy go lucky girl. She earned her title of “Social Media Influencer” with her smiling face and her friendly & peace-loving spirit.
-Anh
DEXTER
Fun fact: Dexter has a chip in his right ear
We met Dexter, his mom and siblings in a carboard box at the corner of Franklin and Bronson in Hollywood. His mom was a straight-up terrier, as were most of his siblings, but Dex, as you can see, is all Chihuahua. He was estimated to be 4-6 months and had a little bite out of his ear, we thought gave him street-cred. We fought with a few other would-be adopters, and took him home to my then-girlfriend, now-wife’s apartment. Dex moved with us to Austin, then Nashville where he’s been running the house for the last 11 years!
-Dave
FRANKLIN
fun fact: Named after the street where his big brother was found
I’ve had a Beagle obsession my whole life and have adopted many through my adult life. While in Austin, my then-girlfriend-now-wife was on the lookout for a Beagle brother for Dex. She found a Craigslist listing from a new college freshman at UT who didn’t know he couldn’t have a 6-week old Beagle puppy in the dorm…so I went and got him, and named him Franklin after the street where we found Dex.. He was the cutest puppy and continues to be a great looking Beagle boy and that’s good, because he’s the worst dog. He eats everything and tears a part the house on the daily. We love him though, and he and Dex have been best buddies to each other and the 2 kids we have had since adopting our pups.
-Dave
CHAMP
Fun Fact: sleepiest puppy known to man
Title: Office baby
Champ was found in the Bahamas as a stray. He stood out because of his gentle and affectionate demeanor. He was brought to the states as a foster, but he quickly stole our hearts. Having a puppy in the office has brought a lot of fun and he gives everyone lots of kisses and gets lots of treats and pets in return. He is playful and chill puppy who gets along with every dog and every employee.
-Rick and Anh