Wal-Mart is known for its personal greeters. One Falcon store – CMH Liquor – is also known for its personal greeter. His name is Junior, and he has four legs and a tail.Junior is a dog – a pug that belongs to the store’s owner, Marcus Hong. Hong said he bought Junior after his first pug was stolen seven years ago. “Our first dog’s name was Puggy,” Hong said. “So when we got him we called him Puggy Junior, but that’s too much to say, so we just call him Junior.”Hong said most of the time Junior is friendly and loves to greet the customers, especially kids. “In the summertime, kids will come in here and bring their parents just so they can see Junior or have their picture taken with him,” he said. Junior’s good behavior was enhanced by a bit of training. “My daughter took him to obedience school, but he is still stubborn,” Hong said.The liquor store is not the only place Junior can be found in Falcon. Twice a week he takes a trip to The State Bank. “Everyone welcomes him at the bank,” Hong said. “If I don’t bring him with me, everyone asks, ‘Where’s Junior today?'”At the liquor store, Junior keeps regular store hours during the week. On the weekends, Hong said Junior doesn’t show up until noon because he stays with Hong’s niece. “She spoils him,” he said. “She lets him sleep in her bed with her. At home I make him sleep downstairs.” Hong said Junior shows favoritism to those who spoil him. “He likes my son the most, then my niece and then me,” he said.Until a year ago, Junior’s favorite person was Hong’s wife, Theresa. But tragedy struck the family Jan. 14, 2007, when Theresa died in an automobile accident. Hong said Junior was affected by the loss. “He would walk around the house looking for her,” he said. “And when she was not there he would just crawl up on the couch and sleep. It was very heartbreaking.”The family and Junior grieved their loss, but Junior eventually got back into his old routine – greeting customers with a friendly wag of his tail. “Sometime people come here and don’t buy anything,” Hong said. “They are just coming in here to see Junior.”
