Last updated on October 6, 2026 3:53 pm
At Alcon Lighting’s LA headquarters, co-founder David Hakimi adopted a 9 year-old dog named Nano and decided to bring him into the office every day.
It quickly became clear that Nano, who lived until he was seventeen, relished a long nap. Nano liked to hop and curl up in an easy chair, resting his head on the arm, drifting into slumber. In fact, David says this was Nano’s favorite activity. He walked with David in the local Los Angeles neighborhood of businesses, homes and shops, loping around and sniffing to explore but soon as he walked back into Alcon Lighting, he’d soon again be out like a light.
The exception, of course, involved food. Any one fixing a snack in the break room could expect to find Nano sniffing around for a sample. Everyone who got to know Nano loved him. He was probably a mix of Chow Chow and Labrador Retriever, with a distinctly Eeyore-like personality, never in a hurry, and rarely excited about much of anything. He mostly moped along at his own pace, which somehow only made him more endearing. Ritchel, who kept track of Alcon Lighting’s important numbers and data, came to appreciate him, as did Andre, a lighting sales consultant who occasionally brought his senior Boston Terrier to work, and co-founder Jake, who was sensitive to small distractions during sales meetings. After all, Nano had a habit of wandering into the middle of a meeting or presentation, looking around as if taking stock of the room, choosing his spot, and promptly settling down for a snooze.
With an underactive thyroid, for which he was treated with medication, Nano tended to be sluggish, though he lets out a cautionary bark at the FedEx delivery man.
Nano thrived on visiting Michael, Ritchel, and Stephanie for snacks on the sly.
David takes his dog’s disposition in stride. It’s what drew him to Nano. “I went to the shelter thinking that I might be able to improve the life of an animal that’s down on his luck,” he says, “and Nano looked like he was down on his luck.”
“He wasn’t much of a lap dog, in fact, he mostly preferred to be alone and I accepted him for it. I didn’t push too much affection on him, but when I did, he tolerated it. I guess that was his was of saying, ‘thank you.'”
Of course, David knows that he came out ahead because Nano brought laughter and love into his home and work. So, you might say that, if he doesn’t exactly bask in it, Nano was happiest when napping in the light.
