This month our shop dog comes from what most of us think of as paradise. The little island of Maui only has around 636 miles of public roads, but it is home to a number of devoted motorcyclists, including an old-school bike builder. Noah Ogeen grew up around motorcycles. His dad built and serviced countless bikes over the years and at an early age, Noah realized creating and building bikes was what he wanted to do. At age 20, he loaded up his 1955 Triumph Trophy and moved to Maui. He opened a bike shop and he’s been busy turning wrenches and creating rolling chopper art ever since.
10 years ago, Noah crossed paths with a little six-week bundle of fur. That same day Noah had bought a 1959 Chevrolet two-door hardtop Biscayne. He loaded the little pup in the ’59 and brought him home. “The pup really seemed to like my new ride,” Noah explained. “So, I thought it was fitting to name him after the car, so I named him Chevy. Now Chevy had a lot to live up to to fill the void of my previous pooch that had passed away a year earlier.”
Chevy has two jobs at the shop. He’s in charge of security and he’s also there to help Noah keep his stress level low. Chevy always knows how to cheer up the boss when the stress level starts to rise. “If I’m having a bad day, Chevy is always happy to see me. He never gets an attitude with me and he’s very low maintenance. Chevy has always been a good judge of character, as well as being a real character himself.”
Many shop dogs alert the boss when they hear someone coming, even when no one is in sight yet. And Chevy is no exception. “Chevy has made many friends over the last 10 years and he can sense his friends from a mile away. I will always hear him start talking in his half whine, half bark when his favorite customers come down the street and pull into the parking lot.”
Chevy is Noah’s best buddy, following him around the shop cuddling up whenever he can. Noah will be lacing a wheel and Chevy is right there next to him, snuggling up.
These days Chevy takes it easy. He is now 70 in dog years and strangely enough, in his golden years, Chevy has taken up people watching. Noah says he lays around people watching so much that they have given him a new nickname, Chev-ro-lay-there. Not a bad life for a shop dog. Living on an island paradise, in a shop that could double as chopper heaven, watching life and the world go by.
