All News & StoriesNot to brag or anything, but our pets are kinda a big deal!
We asked team CCA to share (and brag!) about their furry (and feathery) friends. Go ahead – ooh and aah over these cuties!
Lane, Human Resources Manager
I have Max. He’s a ten pound yorkie/chihuahua mix and my first experience owning a small dog. I love the portability of him – he goes all over the place with me and even has his own car seat! Max is a total Velcro dog and follows me all over the house when I’m home and sits by the front door awaiting my return when I’m away. His favorite game is tug and fetch and his favorite toy is his “blue dog”, which is about half his size.
Fun fact, Max had been the featured pet in the Meridian Hills Magazine. Twice!
Mollie, Executive Director
Bo is our seven-year-old labradoodle. He is a very busy, expressive dog that still very much acts like a puppy. He greets everyone with a bark, and then immediately gets a toy so you can play. Bo loves to sunbathe, go on walks, and rough-and-tumble play. He makes it well known that once you start petting, it’s going to be a long time before he allows you to stop. Bo is our favorite!
Michelle, Community Engagement Specialist
I love my two fur babies! Mikey, the morkie, came from my dad, and Bandit, the border collie (mix), came from my mom. I’m so glad they have each other!
Patti, Data/Assessment Specialist
Remy is our lovable, black Labrador retriever. We adopted him from Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The college brings in young canine educators that the veterinary students work with throughout the school year. Students are assigned as a team to each dog and regularly walk and take them out for playtime with the other dogs when they are not in clinical use. At the end of the school year, after they’ve served science, the dogs are offered for adoption to the student teams. We were fortunate to be able to adopt Remy. He has been a part of our family since 2017 and is very sociable, food-motivated, loves tummy rubs, and sniffs EVERYTHING on walks. Here he is dressed in his finest for my daughter’s graduation celebration!
Jamie, Family Engagement Specialist
We lovingly refer to our pets as the Spears Zoo in our house! Evey (short for Evening) is our black cat and oldest pet member of our family. She is best friends with our toddler and always tries to comfort her when she is sad. Gatsby is our orange, Garfield cat. He loves to eat and thinks he runs the house. Lastly, is our puggle, Penny Lane, who we lovingly call “snuggle puggle”. She is small like a pug but howls like a beagle! Our family would not be complete without them.
Rosy, Multicultural Family Engagement Specialist
The Hyre house currently has two rescue dogs, Hector the Siberian husky, and Simo the German shepherd mix (tried to rename him to Achilles to mirror one of my favorite movies, Troy, but that didn’t work out). Hector is motivated by food, loves to sleep, loves to run fast, and will always come to me after he eats so I can rub his back and “burp” him. Simo lives for snuggles and always wants to be petted. Inside the house, he is the biggest baby, but once he’s outside, his German shepherd kicks in. He loyally keeps watch over the premises – keeping a watchful eye on the intruder squirrels, raccoons, and opossums that might invade his territory. Hector mostly howls from the trampoline. They’re like night and day, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Love my pups.
Skylar, Administrative Assistant
This is Finnegan, aka Finn or Handsome Man (but you have to sing the name or he will just ignore you.) He is the best, worst cat ever. His hobbies include playing in the toilet, jumping on the kitchen counters, knocking over trash cans, and yelling in my ear while I am sleeping for food! He is a rescue, and I have had him since he was six-months-old. I was hoping he would mellow out in his old age, but instead he seems to be getting crazier. Not sure what I would do without him though.
Lucy, Multicultural Program Resource Navigator
At the moment I don’t have any pets, but I had a Rottweiler for 14 years. Her name was Tequila and she was Matthew’s “sister.” At the time, they grew up together and had the sweetest relationship. She was a very loving dog.
Lauren, Family Engagement Specialist
This past year, the George family expanded from a dog to include 11 chickens! Never in a million years did I think I would be a chicken mama, but I am here for it. Piper is our black Labrador retriever. She was a rescue and we got her when she was three. She has petite little legs, loves belly rubs, is food motivated, and won’t letting you stop petting her. She loves chasing our chickens, but has never won! The kids have really taken to chicken keeping and we have loved watching them grow from babies to egg layers. One even turned out to be a rooster – which I am sure our neighbors just love! We now call ourselves the “George Family Zoo” and joke about what animal will come next.
Julie, Program Resource Manager
Currently we have twice as many animals as we do humans living in our house. We adopted mom and kitten a year ago. Their names are Bellatrix and Sirius. Kingsley is our Lab mix and has been in the family the longest. Not pictured are Luna and Lila, our other two cats.
Kristin, Communications and Community Manager
Against the pleas of my husband and children, the Kahl family no longer has pets. Our beloved poodle/bichon rescue pup, Keno, was a part of our family for 11 years. As much as we loved him, I did NOT love the messes and responsibility of being a dog mom. I still consider myself a dog person though and am happy to snuggle up with others’ dogs in their native habitats.
