I’ll admit that when Carmen and Paddington first came onto the Camille Styles team, both Coco and I felt threatened. A crafty girl with a ridiculously cute dog?! That’s totally our schtick! Nevertheless, we pushed our egos aside and decided to make room in our hearts for the adorable duo, and I speak for the whole team when I say that we haven’t regretted it for a second since. Carm is a total Jackie of all creative trades who’s saved the day on many a photo shoot, and when you add the life-sized-stuffed-animal that is Paddy to the mix, well, the two are unstoppable.
Your name: Carmen Collins, production assistant at Camille Styles
Your dog’s name, breed, and age: Paddington, Goldendoodle, 1 year
How did Paddington come into your life? After graduating from UT, most of my friends moved to Dallas for new jobs. I decided to stay in Austin and quickly realized my friend pool was severely low. I didn’t grow up with pets, so getting one of my own was a huge step. I researched breeds for months and finally landed on goldendoodles. They’ve got all the fun-loving energy of a golden retriever, but none of the shedding! Paddington became the perfect companion to explore Austin with.
What’s your favorite thing about him? He gets excited about everything. New collar? Tail is wagging. Getting in the car? Tail is wagging. Pull a carrot out of the fridge? Tail is wagging.
Your favorite thing to do together: We love sitting outdoors together. I live right down the street from Yard Bar, so we are there multiple times a week. Everyone knows him by name! On the weekends, we frequent Zilker Park. Paddington has to say hello to every person having a picnic or doing yoga.
What’s the funniest thing Paddington does? Paddington thinks he’s the size of a chihuahua, when in actuality, he’s about 60 pounds! He isn’t aware of how large he is so he loves sitting on people’s laps or trying to work his way into tiny spaces. Also, his legs are so long that whenever he looks at me I just start laughing because he looks so silly.
And the naughtiest thing he’s ever done? One time when we were at the park, he ran over to say hi to a group of people who were working on a painting project… He stepped in everything and was covered in colorful paint. Luckily none of their artwork was ruined!
If your dog was a person, living or dead, who would he be and why? My friends and I all agreed that he would be some kind of comedian. A girl came up to me at Yard Bar the other day and said he reminded her of Jason Segel, and I can totally see that. He’s funny and cute, but also kind of dopey!
