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 In HearSway

In July 2020, longtime realtor Jamie McDevitt moved her Southern Pines office from Broad Street to 125 E. Pennsylvania Ave. There, she became acquainted with a friendly squirrel. But this wasn’t just any squirrel. This was a special squirrel. One with a stump for a tail.

Unironically, she and her team named the squirrel Stubby. They began feeding it treats. And in a February issue of The Sway, Jamie declared Stubby as her office’s official mascot.

But Stubby Already Had a Name.

But soon after, Retro Salon and Bar owners Megan Weitzel and Molly Schrader say the fluffy vagrant has been living in downtown Southern Pines for years. They long ago named it Bob, allowed a client to nail a moon-windowed McMansion to the tree in front of the salon, and watched in horror and delight as a new lover took special interest in nibbling on what they refer to as “the nub.”

“It’s like a train wreck — you can’t look away,” Megan says. Ironically, a train is what she thinks is responsible for the squirrel’s lack of appendage.

Margaret Davis, a Pinebluff wildlife rehabilitator, says squirrels lose their tail for a number of reasons and can suffer from balance issues but Stubby / Bob is apparently in no need of help (or food).

Stubby / Bob and his love interest, about to pounce on that nub.

The Business Owners Have Agreed to Disagree.

“We are happy to share custody, but we will continue to say Stubby because it sounds way cooler,” says Jamie’s concierge, Carmen Schaefer, adding that it’s a gender-neutral name. “It has such good manners when eating all our treats, we think it has to be a girl.”

“We just see him as a scholar and a gentlemen,” Megan said. “But we all know that tail has to give him street cred.”

And Now, Stubby / Bob Has a Second Home.

Because nub-bottomed tree rodents make the woodland world go ’round, Jamie McDevitt has gifted Stubby with a condo featuring a sleek floorplan and 360-degree views of all the nuts in Southern Pines.

The first non-human home to be listed by McDevitt Town and Country Properties, the “Stubby Mansion” was installed outside Jamie’s office window. Featuring a recycled pickle jar perfect for a short-tailed squirrel’s removable panoramic window, the eco-friendly home was claimed before it even hit the MLS. 

“After all, it’s all about location, location, location,” says Carmen Schaefer, Jamie McDevitt’s concierge. Stop by Jamie’s office from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and get some complimentary nuts to leave in the squirrel-sized dish out front.

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