When wet noses and furry tails started popping up on videoconferences, we had to ask: How many of our colleagues have brought home a pet during the pandemic? If you missed meeting some of our other pets who came to visit us in the office, visit our “A (Dog’s) Day in the Life” series.
Between remote work and cleared social calendars, Pittsburghers are spending more time at home than ever before. Shelters, animal rescues, and breeders have reported staggering increases in pet adoptions since the start of the pandemic and we can believe it – UPMC Enterprises’ employees have adopted over 20 pets this year! This week’s post features three precious puppies and two cute cats.
Name: Zoey
Family: Bryan Mack
Zoey’s story: Zoey’s humans both work an hour away from home, making time at home very limited throughout the week. When both humans started working from home full-time in the spring, they decided that it finally made sense to add a dog to their family. For an entire month, they searched rescue shelters all over western PA submitting over 20+ applications before finally receiving a call from Tiny Cause, a small shelter in Vandergrift, PA. They met Zoey and immediately fell in love with her.
Zoey is a Staffordshire Terrier/Lab mix who loves her two human brothers, playing in the water, and sleeping on puffy pillows and blankets. Sometimes she snores so loudly when napping that her humans must turn up the volume on the TV!
Name: W. Woodrow “Hayes” Hayes
Family: Kim Robinson
Hayes’s story: When Hayes’s humans lost a beloved pet in February, their home suddenly felt a bit lonelier. They waited a bit to make sure they were ready for a new pup, and like everyone else, kept an eye on pet rescue posts. A few applications and calls later, they scheduled with a meet & greet with Hayes’s foster family and fell head over heels for her immediately. Thankfully, her foster family saw it, too!
Hayes is a sweet, playful, and mischievous girl. She loves chewing, snuggling, and going on hiking adventures. Hayes has also mastered the most essential puppy skill: using puppy dog eyes to get extra treats!
Name: Kailash aka “Kai”
Family: Vara Anantharaman
Kai’s story: Kai’s humans had been skirting around the idea of a dog, hesitant about the time commitment. When they found Kai, all doubt left their minds – they knew right away that they should bring him home. Kai has learned a lot from his puppy class and, most importantly, has trained his humans to feed him on demand.
Kai loves to play tug and fetch with everything, no matter the size and weight. He loves to sit in the middle of the road and will only walk when his humans nag him. Kai is also currently losing his puppy teeth but don’t worry, that hasn’t stopped him from biting everything.
Names: Tango & Charcoal
Family: Elsa Huang
Tango & Charcoal’s story: Tango and Charcoal’s humans saw that Animal Friends had rescued a kitten on the same day they received their marriage license. They inquired about that kitten, but he was too small to be adopted. Animal Friends offered a scheduled time to meet other available cats that’s when the magic happened. Tango and Charcoal have been entertaining their humans ever since!
Can’t get enough of these furry friends? Keep an eye out for the next “pandemic pets” post!
Interested in joining these furry friends? Work with us!
