Charlotte magazine honored Yola, the staff dog at Park Road Books, Charlotte, N.C., as one of its 2019 Charlotteans of the Year, writing: "When the staff at Park Road Books pages the back office, they typically need owner Sally Brewster, not her dog. But don't tell that to Yola, who responds to these calls as Bruce Wayne responds to the Bat-Signal.
"The small, brown canine leaps to work. She trots the length of the store, with little barks that announce her arrival and a tail that wags upright like the wave of a queen. All around her, faces look up from the pages of books, peer around the corners of shelves, and brighten as Yola passes. She finds a group of shoppers by the cash register--surely the ones in need--and lies on her back to present her belly. This none-too-subtle hint proves effective, and several sets of hands rub her belly at once. People who stood near each other silently now laugh with each other. It was an important call after all.
"Behind her is Brewster, laughing and shaking her head at the familiar sight. To walk behind Yola is to witness a 25-pound dog charm an entire store of customers, many of whom greet her by name.... Customers don't pet Yola just to make Yola happy, of course. They know who's getting the better deal. Yola seems to understand this. She enjoys her pets and attention, and if someone has the magic touch, she'll flash her little white teeth into a smile. Then she trots off. She's got other customers to help."