Serendipity owner Barbara Lym takes a break to give Molly a belly rub By Cecily Hastings   Once a year, people bring their kids to the office for Take Your Child to Work Day. While there’s no comparable program for pets, plenty of people are bringing their dogs to work these days. The trend has many adherents in stores and businesses around town. Scott Hassenflau and Jonathan Randall, who own Haus, a chic furniture and décor shop on J Street in Midtown, often have their dog with them during store hours. Hassenflau says the dog—Hutton, a small, fluffy white bichon frisé—has developed quite a following among his customers. "Some people enjoy coming in specifically to say hello to Hutton," he says. "Hutton even receives postcards asking that he pass on a greeting to his humans." Hassenflau says that having his pet with him creates a "warm, inviting atmosphere in the store." The owners plan to include Hutton in their ad campaign. According to Randall, Hutton is a great workday companion. "When there is too much to do, Hutton reminds us that it is necessary to take a break and go for a walk around the block; he keeps reminding us what's important in life," he says. Barbara Lym, owner of Serendipity Boutique in East Sacramento, has been bringing her dog, Molly, a 7-year-old golden retriever, to the shop since it opened five years ago. "She has become such a fixture that customers come in asking about her," she explains. "I hired a coworker named Molly one summer. When she left for college in the fall, someone came in and politely asked, "Is Molly in today?" A few minutes after Lym said she wasn’t there, she heard the customer say, "Oh, here she is."Lym laughed. "Molly is really good with kids, too. Many of our customers will come in and plop their kids with Molly so they can shop. This works beautifully," she says. Lym says that Molly is low key and lazy. "When the shop gets busy, she finds a clothing rack and lies underneath it to hide," she notes. "It wouldn’t be the same without her because she is such a great companion." Serendipity Boutique 5362 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95819 916.454.2900