CASPER — Her wardrobe includes shades, jeans skirts, tutus, a two-piece bathing suit in the summer and sometimes butterfly wings.
She has 3,600 followers on Facebook, 173 on Instagram and 1,465 on TikTok.
And nearly everyone who shops at Casper’s Walmart store off CY Avenue knows her. She’s Mia the Walmart Dog.
“She brings a lot of people in here,” said Billy Welch, her owner and a greeter at the store. For the past two years he has worked the store, so has Mia. She is his support dog.
Mia has become a local celebrity and attraction for area nonprofits, and also has gained recognition around the globe thanks to social media. On one New Year’s Eve, Welch said he put butterfly wings on her and a guy came into the store, did a 10-second clip with her and put it on TikTok.
“She hit 5.2 million,” he said about Mia’s first viral moment. “She went completely around the globe.”
Mia, part pit bull and part bull mastiff, will turn 5 in March. She was rescued by Welch at 2 months old from a guy who beat and kicked her. At the time, Welch had another support dog, Boss, while he worked a job at the Walmart in Riverton.
There were trust issues between them for several months, Welch said. Wen Mia needed to go outside, he would have to open the door and walk away from it before she would walk out.
Now the pair are inseparable.
Welch said Mia has helped him “get out of my shell and my fear of people.”
A Lot Of Shades
A native of Missouri, Welch, 59, said he lived in Washington state and then Alaska for many years.
He arrived in Wyoming about five years ago. When he began his job at the Walmart in Casper, he initially had Mia wearing shades and hats. She has 28 pairs of sunglasses.
Mia was an instant hit.
Soon, Welch was dressing her in skirts and other outfits. He said she has so many now he doesn’t have room in his closet and has them hanging on a wall. A Christmas photo shows Welch in a Grinch outfit, with Mia wearing a red bow and red-and-white cape.
Welch puts bunny ears on her for Easter, and during the Christmas holidays she may go to work wearing antlers.
For Valentine’s Day coming up, she has a “complete pink outfit.”
Mia’s ability to wear her shades was learned from his former service dog, Boss, Welch said. She only loses them if she shakes herself coming into the store or bending down for a drink.
Since her first weeks at the store, her local celebrity status has only grown.
“Kids, when they come in the door, they are looking for her,” Welch said. “She has regular customers that she knows, and she’ll get up and run right over to them. It’s all ages. The effect she has on people is amazing.”
Welch said he has vacationers from other states who have seen her on social media or visited the store previously who make it a point to stop into the store just to see her.
Through social media, her fans have commented on “how lovely she is” and “how nice she looks.”
“They wish they could be there to see her,” Welch said.
Billy Welch and his service dog Mia have been greeting people at a Casper Walmart for two years. Mia has become a celebrity in the community. (Courtesy Billy Welch) 
Mia loves Valentine's Day and gets a lot of action at her kissing booth at the front of the Casper Walmart store. (Courtesy Billy Welch) 
Mia the Walmart dog is a favorite with the store's customers, especially kids. Her owner, Billy Welch, often puts her in costumes, and Mia doesn't seem to mind. (Courtesy Billy Welch) 
Billy Welch and Mia greeted customers at Walmart during the Christmas holidays in their special costumes. (Courtesy Billy Welch)
A Fundraising Pooch
As a fundraiser, Mia has helped a local fire department with a boot drive, raised money for the Boy’s & Girl’s Club, and assisted with an effort for the local Humane Society.
Welch said he just had a meeting with a nonprofit, the Seton House in Casper, to plan another one. The nonprofit helps single-parent families facing homelessness.
Seton House officials shared on their Facebook page that Mia and Welch had paid them a visit.
“Look for them at Walmart and leave some change for change at Seton House. She is famous, so we feel pretty special,” Seton House posted.
Welch said fundraisers typically involve a flyer for the cause and a 5-gallon bucket placed by Mia where customers can drop their contributions.
He said he appreciates Walmart management for their support for the fundraisers and Samantha Songer, a friend who keeps Mia’s social media going.
In December, when Mia needed some medical care and Welch did not have the money, her fans rallied to help after a Facebook post. Comments on the page made clear that Mia is loved in the community.
“She’s such a special girl, and I think I speak for everyone when I say you both deserve the best,” Caitlan Knotts wrote.
Hound and Katt Veterinarian posted on their Facebook as well, thanking the community for the response.
“We got to help a Casper celebrity tonight,” they wrote. “It was an absolute pleasure helping Billy and Mia and it was very heartwarming to witness all the outpouring of community help with all the phone calls we received on her behalf.”
Mia’s status includes special treatment. She does not eat like a dog. Welch said he buys and cooks meat and vegetables for her — a favorite is liver.
“She’s my baby girl. I love her to death,” he said.
As he looks to the future, Welch said he plans to keep smiling and greeting everyone who arrives at Walmart with Mia either standing beside him or taking a break on her nearby doggie bed.
“I don’t want to leave Walmart,” he said. “It would break a lot of people’s hearts if they didn’t see Mia.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
