Hayley, a golden retriever, has been working at construction sites with Max DeMars for as long as he's owned her. She's been climbing ladders for eight years. (Photo by John Cross/The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.)

By Dan Nienaber
CNHI News Service

MANKATO -- Hayley is a roofer who doesn't haul shingles. Her specialties are finishing her coworkers' lunches and keeping them chipper on busy days.

The golden retriever spends most of her time at the side of her owner, Max DeMars, and others who work for his company, DeMars Construction. When their work takes them to the rooftops, she climbs their ladder and follows them.

It's an unusual sight for those who don't know Hayley. And it has gotten her wet, black nose intro trouble.

While prancing across the roof at a church construction site this week, Hayley apparently caught the attention of a concerned resident. Police were called, and she was within a leash’s latch of a trip to the pound.

A community service officer arrived at Hosanna Lutheran Church to find the gray-faced pooch looking down at him, wagging her tail. He talked Hayley off the roof and was about to take her away when DeMars stopped him.

“He thought it was a stray dog that just wandered up there, so he called her down,” DeMars said. “We’ve been joking with her, saying, ‘They’re going to haul you away if you don’t behave.’”

There was some discussion between officer and owner, and Hayley was on a short leash for a couple of days. She was back on the roof by midweek, though, after another Mankato officer returned to say it all had been a misunderstanding.

“She actually comes to work with me every day," DeMars said. "She has since she was a pup.”

Hayley was about 2 years old when she started climbing ladders. DeMars suspects she had gotten bored on the ground while everyone else worked above.

Jordan Wesely, a DeMars employee, said he looks forward to seeing Hayley, now 10, each morning. The feeling seems mutual because she often lies down and watches him work. When the crew accidentally left her at a work site during a lunch break, she chose Wesely’s tool belt to keep her company.

DeMars has been working on an addition at the church since June, so workers there have gotten to know Hayley, too. She’s warmly greeted as she wanders the halls, looking for friends.

“I thought it was pretty neat when I saw her climb a ladder,” said church custodian Armond Olson. “I had a dog that did that when I was a kid, but I don’t think I’ve seen one since.”

DeMars said Hayley is usually welcomed wherever she goes.

“Whether I’m at the lumber yards or the banks, they’re all looking for her because they all know her,” he said. “She’s my vice president of public relations. That’s a good title for her.”

Dan Nienaber writes for The Free Press in Mankato, Minn.

Someone called police after spotting Hayley with a construction crew on a Mankato roof this week. The pooch was let loose after owner Max DeMars explained she's a rooftop regular. (Photo by John Cross/The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.)