Store Sidekicks: Tiny Tim at John Bartlett

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This is Store Sidekicks, an end-of-the-week feature where we profile the fuzzy wuzzy creatures that inhabit shops across the city. If you'd like to nominate your favorite store animal, drop us a line at tips@racked.com.

After many weeks of featuring the best of New York's store pets, we finally turn to the creme-de-la-creme of animal advocates: John Bartlett in the West Village. His trusty sidekick, a three-legged dog named Tiny Tim, not only keeps watch over the store but also serves as mascot and logo of John's menswear brand.

Tiny Tim's story is the stuff of rescue shelter dreams: in December of 2002, he was hit by a car and brought into the North Shore Animal League (NSAL) to have one of his front legs amputated. After months of recuperation, he found a friend in John Bartlett, who stopped into the shelter on his 40th birthday looking for a companion for his travels and his store.

These days, Tiny Tim's shadow is everywhere as the John Bartlett logo. John has even designed a special T-shirt, the proceeds from which will go directly to the NSAL. If you'd like to pat Tiny Tim yourself, he is often to be found relaxing on the wood floor of the John Bartlett store on Sundays, even sporting a scarf in winter.

He's a survivor, and before we get that Destiny's Child song in our head, we'll leave off by saying that we think Tiny Tim perfectly compliments the John Bartlett style.
· John Bartlett [Official Site]
· All Store Sidekicks Stories [Racked]