This amazing bookshop is run by a golden retriever and she might ask you for belly rubs

Ruby, a golden retriever, is always at the door to greet anyone visiting her bookstore. Yes, you read that right. Her bookstore. Ruby is the co-owner and manager of the independent bookstore. Not to mention it's named after her and she features in the logo as well. A few years after the bookshop opened in California, Ruby remains the main attraction at the store. “We often joke that the people come for the books but stay for the dog!” said Stacy Gould, Ruby’s adopted mom, reported The Dodo. Anyone who shares a love for reading knows it just feels amazing to have an animal lazing around as you turn the pages and discover new worlds.

At the California bookshop, visitors love to play and engage with Ruby, who's only the sweetest, gentlest soul. She loves to greet customers at the door and walk with them until they settle on a book section. She then lies down in silence near them, giving them company as they read. Gould had always wanted to open a bookstore but the logistics of it just wasn't falling into place. Her kids and husband would constantly be occupied with school and work and she was hesitant to run the place by herself. She also knew she had to take the family pup, Ruby, with her to the store every day and that's when it hit her. She decided to name and mold the identity of the place around her. Ruby meant the world to her and she was such a friendly dog. “Ruby would have to come with me every day to the store, so we thought, ‘Why don't we name the store after Ruby?’” recalled Gould.

The bookstore and Ruby are now key cogs in the local community. “The customers love Ruby and she has become quite the staple here on Sutter Street,” said Gould. Ruby takes her job very seriously and goes through her duties with much diligence. “Her duties include greeting each customer at the door, rolling over for endless belly rubs, sniffing out treats within pockets of our customers, mopping the floor with her very fluffy tail, (pretend to be) reading alongside the kiddos in our children's section,” said Gould. One would even go so far as to say she's the best employee and a very good girl. Apart from carefully curated sets of books across genres, the store sells gifts and toys. They also have an online order section but there's no denying that Ruby is the main attraction and many customers make it a point to visit the store so they can see their favorite golden retriever as well.

Ruby loves spending time at the bookstore and engaging with members of the community, many of whom are regulars. Ruby, like any other worker, needs a good work-life balance, so her family decided that she wouldn't go to the store every day. As much as she loves it at the bookshop, she only works Monday to Friday and then spends the weekends at home with the family. Ruby is now six years old and loves her role as a full-time bookshop greeter, guide and owner.