If you’ve walked into Good 4 Guns, you’ve met Oliver. He’s the 85-pound red fox lab who will greet you at the counter like you’re the most important person he’s seen all day — which, to be fair, you just might be.
Oliver is five years old, a proud service dog dropout (he gave up a promising career in duck retrieval to pursue his true passion: laps and belly rubs), and the unofficial heart of this store. His actual title is Head of Quality Control, which mostly means he inspects every shipment that comes through the door and determines whether the boxes meet his standards. More on that soon.
The Résumé
Don’t let the napping fool you. Oliver has skills.
He whispers on command. He does “meerkat” — that’s where he sits on his butt and gives you both front paws, and yes, it’s as cute as it sounds. He smiles. He fist bumps. He high fives. He does BIG high fives, which involves jumping up to give you both paws up top. And if you point at him with finger guns? He dramatically dies. Right there on the shop floor. Full commitment.
At home, he does the laundry. The entire cycle. Clothes into the hamper, hamper to the laundry room, clothes into the washer, washer to dryer, dryer back to hamper, and then he hands you one item at a time to fold. We are not making this up.
His likes include pizza snacks, ice cream, anything that squeaks, and long walks. His dislikes include armadillos and feet. We don’t ask questions about the feet thing.
Why He Matters Here
We know walking into a gun store for the first time can feel intimidating. That’s something we think about a lot — it’s why we built this place the way we did. But Oliver does something for the vibe of this store that no amount of careful branding can replicate. He makes people breathe. He makes kids light up. He gives nervous first-timers something to pet while they work up the courage to ask their first question.
He’s not a mascot. He’s a team member. And he takes his job very seriously, except when he doesn’t, which is most of the time.
Oliver’s Safety Squad
Oliver’s biggest side project is one we’re genuinely proud of. Oliver’s Safety Squad is a series of coloring books that teach kids about safety — not just firearm safety, but all the everyday stuff: not opening the door for strangers, not running into the street after a ball, asking a grown-up for help with hot things, never jumping into a pool alone.
Every lesson comes through Oliver’s eyes. He hears a knock at the door, but Safety Squad pups know not to answer by themselves — so he goes and finds his favorite grown-up. His ball rolls into the street, but he knows better than to chase it alone. It’s safety education that doesn’t feel like scolding, because Oliver is learning right alongside the kids.
We change it up with the seasons. Oliver’s birthday book taught kids about being kind at parties, knowing when your body needs a break, and sharing with others — which led to a real shelter drive we ran in-store for the Sherman Animal Shelter. The March Madness sports book covers being a good sport, having fun, and playing fair. Valentine’s Day brought Safety Squad Valentine cards. Every edition comes with stickers designed with help from our daughter in art college, and a Safety Squad pledge that kids can color and fill out themselves.
And the best part? When kids come into the store and realize that the dog from the coloring book is real and standing right in front of them, ready for all the love they’ve got — that’s the whole thing, right there.
Coming Soon to Oliver’s Corner
This little section of the blog is Oliver’s space. You’ll find him here doing what he does best: inspecting shipments, reviewing the structural integrity of various cardboard boxes, napping in strategic locations around the store, and generally supervising operations.
First up: Oliver’s official box reviews. Our customers have been joking about this for a while now, so we figured it was time to make it official. Stay tuned. In the meantime, if you’re in the Van Alstyne area, stop by and say hi. He’ll be the one with all the fur.
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