How Bettie Page Survived a 22-Story Fall Down a Trash Chute

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Welcome to Waggy Retail, a proper introduction to those lovable living mascots seen romping, frolicking, and/or snoozing behind the counter at boutiques around the city. Want to see your favorite shop pet featured in this column? Hit the tipline at philly@racked.com. Woof!

Bettie's pet peeve? Dogs who walk by without saying hello. Image credit: The Little Apple/Brandy Schecter

Today we're getting to know Bettie Page, the one-year-old Chihuahua mix soaking up the sunbeams at Manayunk's The Little Apple. Weighing in at a whopping five pounds, Bettie was named after '50s pin-up icon Bettie Paige and Jimmy Page, the guitarist from Led Zeppelin—the favorite band of store owner Brandy Schecter's fiancé. Here's Bettie Page at a glance, as told by Brandy:

Naughty Habits: shredding tissues, foraging for treats and treasures left behind by The Little Apple's former shop dog, Penn; eating cat poop out of the litter box
Favorite Food: freeze-dried chicken, Cheerios, dog treats from Sweet Elizabeth's

One day when Bettie was a two-pound puppy, we couldn't find her anywhere in our apartment. My fiance, Joe, mentioned the last time he remembered seeing her was when he left to take the trash down the hall to the trash chute. I immediately panicked, imagining that Bettie somehow climbed into the trash bag and Joe had accidentally thrown her down the chute from the 22nd floor! As I cried hysterically, Joe left to go downstairs and see if he did, in fact, kill our dog. Well, as you can see, Bettie is very much alive. We assume she must have sneaked out behind Joe when he went to throw away the trash. Our neighbor ending up finding her and reported her to the front desk, who put two and two together when Joe came to them in a cold sweat asking to be let in to the trash compactor room. It was that day that we realized the depth of our love for our little Bettie Page!

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4353 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127 267-335-4968 Visit Website