Family pet inspires 2nd donation to Butler County Humane Society
For the second time in less than a year, the Butler County Humane Society received a truckload of donated supplies inspired by a dachshund named Walnut.
Walnut’s owner, Mark Bowman, is the owner of Slippery Rock contracting firm Man With Tools. He dropped off a load of pet supplies Thursday, Aug. 10, at the humane society, 1015 Evans City Road, Renfrew.
Unlike last time, he got some help from his family. His older daughter, 19-year-old Rori, is working at the humane society as part of a summer job, while his younger daughter, 15-year-old Claire, contributed a set of homemade leashes.
Also part of the truckload of supplies Bowman donated were dog and cat food, collars, leashes, shampoo, blankets, and toys, among others.
The donation drive, and Bowman’s business as a whole, have been greatly boosted by the presence of Walnut, a 2-year-old mini dachshund who is as much a part of the business as Bowman himself.
Bowman first took home Walnut from a breeder in DuBois when the dog was less than 2 months old.
“I had done a lot of work for people who had dachshunds, and everybody had nothing but good things to say about them,” Bowman said. “I hadn't had a dog in probably 10 to 12 years at that time, and so I decided to get a mini dachshund.”
It wasn’t long before Bowman fell so in love with his new pup that he started taking her everywhere he went.
“When I got her, I was thinking, ‘I don't want to leave her home all day,’” Bowman said. “So I'm going to take her to work with me every day.”
Since then, Walnut has effectively become the mascot for Bowman’s contracting firm. Bowman has routinely posted pictures of Walnut on Man With Tools’ Facebook page to promote the firm, and Walnut is even depicted in Man With Tools’ logo.
”She goes everywhere with me, so people recognize her probably more than they recognize me,“ Bowman said.
Due in large part to Walnut’s charm, Bowman said his contracting agency has grown noticeably over the last year. This motivated him to make his first donation to the humane society in October 2022, as he wanted to give back a piece of his newfound success.
Many of those who donated supplies to Bowman’s cause are also customers of his contracting business.
“If I do work at somebody's place and they want to donate, I'll pick up a bag of dog food or whatever,” Bowman said. “So I probably had about 10 to 12 people make donations, and then I add in my own donation on top of that.”
