Hermès has its history of hand-stitched saddles. Ralph Lauren has his iconic polo pony. And Chloë Angus has Sonny.
But, where Hermès and Laurens Polo label only hint at their horsiness, the relationship between the fashion designer and her miniature horse is the real deal. And, in many ways, this short, squat and shaggy Shetland cross has become Angus trademark at least in the Dunbar neighbourhood where her store is located.
Angus doesnt use Sonnys likeness on her clothing labels or stitch little Shetlands onto her little black wrap dresses like other designers, but her store and her designs have become inextricably linked with this most unlikely mascot.
On any given day, theres a good chance passersby at 4273 Dunbar St. will see Sonny hard at work greeting customers from his corral in front of Angus storefront. Calm and gentle, hes become a favourite with area children who often gather around him on the sidewalk or yell his name from the back seats of passing cars. Occasionally Sonny will take a break to catch up with his best friend, Wilson the Rottweiler, the dog towering over the little horse by several inches. But mostly hes a very dedicated employee.
And its not hard to understand why.
Six years ago, Angus and her husband came across Sonny at a horse barn located under the Knight Street bridge. I was helping my sister find a place to board her horses temporarily, and there he was, Angus says of their initial meeting. He had just been bought and saved from the meat auction by two girls and he was in bad shape. You know, scared, malnourished.
Angus would visit with Sonny occasionally when she went to check up on her sisters horses, and eventually he would become comfortable with her, letting Angus brush and feed him. He was just so adorable, Angus remembers, but he wouldnt let men get near him, especially if they had a rake or a broom in their hands. But I knew there was something special about him because even though he was terrified of adults, he was terrific with little kids.
Unfortunately, Angus visits were too infrequent and Sonnys emotional problems too severe. It wasnt fair to him living the way he was living in that barn, Angus says. Something had to change. I told the girls that they had to do something because Sonny wasnt doing well at all. And then one day, about two weeks before Christmas, I went there and Sonny was gone.
I didnt know where he was and was so busy running around last-minute shopping and trying to get everything done before heading up to my parents house on the Sunshine Coast, Angus remembers of that time. I think I put him out of my head.
But fate (and family) intervened to bring Angus and Sonny back together. Upon arriving at her parents house, her father insisted that she go out to the barn and inspect an injury on one of her sisters horses. What Angus saw when she opened the barn door was Sonny wearing a big red bow. Her husband had bought Sonny from the girls who rescued him and her sister had driven him up north with her own animals. After the holidays, Angus brought Sonny home with her, converting a backyard tool shed into a paddock.
Soon, rumours began to circulate around the Southlands and the Endowment Lands of a lady who walked her miniature horse on a leash. We became an urban legend. There wed be, going along, and people would get so excited, says Angus. Wed come out of the fog on the path like some kind of myth the girl and her horse and people would say Weve heard about you. We hardly believed it. Youre real!
Since opening her retail store last July, the sight of Angus walking Sonny along Dunbar has become a common one. But no matter how often it happens, its an event each time. People stop and say hello, says Angus. Kids will stop to chat with him.
And my customers love him, she adds, saying that many women who come into her store know their children and even their husbands will be kept entertained, so they can feel free to shop undisturbed.
No one is asking their mom to hurry up when Sonnys here, Angus says. Kids love him. Parents love him. Dunbar loves him. There are even people coming to the Dunbar Halloween Festival (Oct. 29, 3-5pm) just to see what costume hell be wearing this year. For such a little guy, hes become a big part of the community.
