Each day, no matter the weather or time of day, Peppermint retains the same routine. When we start packing lunches, backpacks and briefcases, she scratches at the door to go outside. I let her out the garage door, where she then stands guard between us and the Tahoe. She stares at us through the door as we finish our preparations for school and work, her intense gaze never wavering as she waits for us to exit the house.

Now that I work from the offices of Lost Mountain Graphics in Middleburg, Peppermint is my constant companion. While there, she takes her job with the utmost seriousness: She greets owners Mark and Joy, our clients and the UPS driver with unabashed enthusiasm each day. Woody Allen once said that “90 percent of success is showing up for work.” If that’s the case, then Peppermint is certainly up for a raise this year.