Doobie the bulldog will often sit at the windowsill and watch people pass by the store on Elk Avenue, eager to greet and play with anyone and everyone.

Emily Leonard of The Answer store in downtown Elizabethton said she and her dad met Doobie about a year ago.

“We needed a family dog for me and my dad,” Leonard said. “Doobie goes to work with me every day.”

For potential customers who walk into the CBD oil store, they might as well be intimate family as far as Doobie is concerned. When he is greeting people with his large smile and furiously wagging tail, all it takes is waving his bright red chew toy to get him excited, running around the store and playing with anyone who says hello.

“Some people just come to play with him,” she said. “He loves the attention.”

The Answer set up shop in Elizabethton a few months ago, providing a wide variety of CBD oil products, including products designed specifically for pets like Doobie, who became a recipient of such products as soon as he joined the family.

“We have both treats with CBD in them as well as the oils,” Leonard said.

The benefits, she said, are significant, particularly for a young puppy like Doobie. She said the oils can help relieve anxiety, reduce some of his hyperactivity, and can even help treat pains older dogs go through, like arthritis or other inflammations.

Despite this attention, she said her canine business partner is not a deliberate part of their marketing strategy.

“Doobie is just my friend,” Leonard said. “I am blessed to have a job where I can bring my dog to work.”

She said Doobie is a great friend to children who enter the store, particularly due to his breed.

“Kids do not see bulldogs often,” she said.

If Doobie could be quoted directly, Leonard said he would probably say “Come play with me.”

The store is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday at 437 East Elk Avenue. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come by to play with Doobie and exchange smiles and laughter with him, even if they are not buying anything.

“He is just here to make friends in Elizabethton.”

Business Buddies is an ongoing weekly series of profile pieces dedicated to the pet companions of various business owners in Elizabethton and Carter County. If you know any business owners whose pets hang out or work at the store, call us at 423-542-4151 and ask for the news desk, or send us an e-mail at amber.wadovick@elizabethton.com.