Family Loses a Beloved Pet, Store Loses Its Mascot

When shopping, you expect friendly customer service and to find what you need. At Henry Persan & Sons Hardware in Sag Harbor, long-time customers enjoyed even more — a greeting from a gentle yellow Lab.

Henry, who was 12 and had been sick for several months, died on Sunday.

His passing has left a void in the Persan family, a sadness many of their store's customers feel, as well.

"Henry had a lot of friends," said Jessica Persan. She and her husband Bob Persan got the beloved dog as a puppy, picking him up at the East Hampton Vacuum store, back when the owners bred puppies. He accompanied the Persans to the store often over the past 12 years.

He even shared the name of the store's namesake — Bob Persan's grandfather.

Henry even graced advertisements from the store that appeared in local papers — sitting on the counter and giving the camera an inquisitive look with his big Labrador Retriever head.

He was just at home in the store as he was at the family's Noyac home. "He loved it," Jessica Persan said. "He would get all excited in the car on the way to the store." Unfortunately, toward the end of his life, he was able to come in less and less.

We know he will be missed by all.

Please join Patch in leaving your condolences for the Persan family and remembering Henry in the comment section below.