Spartans Taking Care and Connecting: The Pet Edition

Zeke the wonder dog isn’t the only loyal Spartan companion.
Read stories of your fellow Spartans and how their pets have helped in the past year.

You are not alone. 

I had no idea 11 years ago when I snuck a little puppy into my office on campus to keep her a precious Christmas secret from our daughters that this same dog would turn into my daily companion during a pandemic. Shortly before we were all told to work from home, my family suffered through the passing of my mother as well as two beloved old cats in the span of five months. Maybe being told to stay home was what I needed at that point, because what I found was a dog named Lacey who was really, REALLY, happy to have me there. We’ve spent more time outside than ever before, playing with her ball or just hanging out. She has been there for me when I just needed to close my eyes for a few minutes, and I’ve been there for her when thunder made her feel the need to bring her 75 pound body onto my lap. This year, there has been sadness, death, confusion, and stress everywhere you look, but I don’t want to overlook the silver lining of extra time with our animals that 2020 brought. I always wanted an office dog, and now I have one.

Rick Seguin
Communications Manager, College of Music

This is my “helper” Lilly.  Not great at staying awake, but an awesome coworker. 

Jeane Stebleton

I’m fortunate enough to be kept company while I work from home by not one, not two, but three loving cats. While they all have distinct personalities that make them unique coworkers, my oldest cat Odin has really taken to my new lifestyle. If you’ve been in a zoom meeting with me, you’ve probably met him. If he’s not in front of the camera, soaking up all that extra attention, he’s causing some sort of commotion in the background. Once I had to take a phone call during a zoom meeting and unfortunately neglected to turn off my camera as I walked away. Luckily, Odin knew exactly what to do as he popped into my seat and stared intently at the camera. He was apparently a great listener! I definitely think that the number of appearances he’s made qualifies him for employment status with the MSU Broad—I’m strongly advocating for an official Chief Purrrrator nametag for this guy. 
 
But in all seriousness, I know that unconditional love is often attributed to dogs while we tend to admire cats for their aloof independence, but we’re on day—I’ve lost track—of this pandemic and somehow this cat is not sick of spending every second by my side, day or night. And he’s been a great driver of productivity as he waits in front of my computer at the same time each morning after breakfast, waiting for his close up.

Morgan Butts
Director of Communications

My husband and I suffered a pregnancy loss early on during the time of COVID-19 and we decided adding a furry friend to our family was something we always wanted and this seemed like as good as time as any to bring a furry bundle of joy into our lives. We welcomed our little buddy, Milo (a yellow lab), into the family in June when he was just 7 weeks old. He has brought so much joy and energy into our lives and we are happy to add that we are expecting a human baby boy in March! We could not have gotten through the difficult times without our new furry friend. He has been a good motivator to get up and get active on my lunch hour everyday by being able to walk him around the neighborhood and play hours of fetch in the yard. Working from home has allowed me to spend a significant amount of time with our new pup. He loves to make an appearance during ZOOM calls and make himself known by barking and/or tearing up and destroying something while I’m trying to work. He definitely keeps us on our toes, but we wouldn’t trade all of the sleepless nights and ruined things for anything and hey it’s preparing us for what’s to come soon with our human baby! 
Beth Lusty
Undergraduate Academic Student Affairs, College of Natural Science

This is Daisy…she was born in a barn (literally) and early on in the stay-at-home order, my husband trained her to drink from the tap.  She’s been known to make an appearance in meetings every now and then.

Angela Laferriere

Prior to COVID, my family was planning to add a horse and goats to our family.  With everyone being home, we expanded further by adding a small flock of chickens, and had no idea how much fun they would be.  We have enjoyed all the extra time home with the animals, even just working from home and watching their antics through my “office” window.  My youngest son is especially taken with the chickens, and often can be found walking around the yard carrying and talking to one of them.  The daily chores of caring for the animals has been a positive experience for my sons.  Getting the pasture set up, constructing a barn addition, and building a chicken coop kept my whole family active over the summer and served as a welcome distraction from some of the more bleak news around us.  Since they were such a big part of our lives this year, and since everyone could use a little levity this holiday season, we decided to feature all of our animals on our Christmas card (attached).  Yes, that’s me on the horse holding a chicken…If you had asked me a year ago “where do you see yourself in 1 year,” I would not have envisioned this, but we’re leaning in to it 
Becca Fedewa, CPA
Senior Financial Analyst

Our small parrot Cuco is thrilled to be out of his cage just about every waking minute.  I work in my basement, away from kid chaos, and he makes sure to fly down there several times and day to check on me and hang out for a bit. He likes to check out the Zoom participants and sometimes I put on some music for a dance break.  Cuco’s got the moves. 
 
Anne M. Baker
Learning and Talent Development Specialist

Simba is our ten-year-old furry child. This furry-adult/child has certainly helped us throughout the pandemic. Whenever we are stressed out and want a moment of peace and silence (for the most part) we can be sure to rely on these moments with Simba either for walks, runs, playing fetch, or sending him away in the backyard to have it out with the three children. The other thing we love about Simba is his guard dog instinct. Prior to the pandemic, we had no idea how much he wanted to let us know the mail worker has arrived. Given the increase of deliveries, warning, and guarding us has become his full-time job. His other responsibilities include, guarding us when those vicious Michigan squirrels are ready to attack our backyard and serving as the kids’ personal vacuum. If there was an upside to this pandemic, it’s getting to spend all kinds of time with Simba. We hope to have ten more fun years with him.

Dr. Jada A. Phelps-Moultrie 
Assistant Professor, K-12 Educational Administration

Despite being a mini hotdog, Berkeley has a huge personality. He brings joy to our home through his unwavering devotion to cheese, his stuffed crab toy, and walks.
 
Mino bimaadsik minwaa wiingezik,
(Live well and take care)
 
Dr. Christie M. Poitra
Interim Director, Native American Institute 

Since March, I have turned our dining room into my make-shift office. I miss the in-person contacts with my colleagues at work, but I am happy that I have a work-buddy at home to keep me company these many months. Casey is a ~12 year old tabby cat who enjoys Zoom-crashing, and grant writing. This is her, perched on my lap, where she spends much of each day. I often turn to her for advice, and she replies with stoic looks, tail wagging and excessive grooming. I still haven’t deciphered her communication code, but I’m pretty sure she is telling me to stay safe, find a way to use the word ‘synergy’ in a sentence, and clean the litter box more often. 
 
Dr. Erik Shapiro, Associate Chair and Professor, Department of Radiology, Colleges of Osteopathic and Human Medicine

This is Wylie!  She’s our 14 year old black lab mix that we rescued from the Michigan Humane Society 13 years ago.  She has had a rough year this past year due to her old age and some ongoing health issues.  Being able to work from home and having this extra time with her during the last eight months has made our hearts so full and you can see daily how happy and fulfilled her life is having her people home with her.  She fills all our hearts with love daily, encouraging us to take her for her daily walks, and cuddling with all of us in our hard moments.  We are so grateful for our four-legged family member – she’s truly our best friend!
 
Katie Conley

I never thought I was a cat person until this year. Our two fur balls have been entertainment, companionship, and a reminder that not everything is chaos. They tolerate snuggles from the kids, find napping spots near my feet or on cushions near my desk. One of them loves to hear my colleagues on calls and in particular tries to talk with my supervisor on the phone. We’ve seen more wildlife in our yard in the city than ever before – including a couple of squirrels and a groundhog that visited the back deck and fascinated the cats through the window. In all that has changed, watching them curl up for a nap is a great reminder that life doesn’t have to be so complicated. We can slow down and enjoy the moments in each day. 

Erica Venton

Meet Zeko, my 100+ pound fur baby. Zeko and I have spent much time over the summer quarantine months walking around my family-friendly neighborhood. In that way, he helped keep me healthy and fit. In an emotional way, Zeko provided comfort as I spun through a variety of feelings during this unprecedented time. He provides me with protection, and continues to make me laugh through some of the hardest times of our lives. He is my best friend.

Tiana Carter

When I think about Leia, our almost two year old yellow Labrador Retriever pup, I think about how she kept us moving by taking her on walks, how she reminded us to take breaks by scooting our laptops out of the way and getting on our laps, how she provided entertainment as she pushed her way into many Zoom meetings, and more. I was MOST grateful that when no one else could bring a smile to our teen, she could.

I asked Haiden, our teen, what she wanted to share about what Leia has meant to her during this time. Here is what she said, “Having my dog, Leia, helped me throughout quarantine by helping me to relieve stress, cope with anxiety, and deal with depression. Having Leia helped me become more patient when training her. She helps me relieve stress when I am able to drop work for a bit and just have fun with her. On some of my worst days, she’s one of the only things that can get me to smile.”

When I read this, I knew that Leia did more for all of us than I ever imagined. As a mom, watching my teen start high school online and be isolated from her peers and her activities has been difficult. I can’t fix it. I can try my best to have grace, patience, love, compassion and be the best company I can be, but I can’t fix it. Knowing that Leia can bring joy to Haiden is more than a relief, it is a gift that our fur pup gave to all of us. I light up when I see Haiden light up. There does not need to be any words spoken, but they just connect. They snuggle, they play, and Leia seems to know which of us need her each day. Haiden has navigated so much these nine months, beyond what I can describe here, that she has inspired me. I am grateful for the joy, companionship, and love that Leia gives all of us, especially Haiden. This time is challenging for us all, particularly those who feel isolated and those who are trying to balance caring for their kids or elders while trying to be the best professionals that they can each day. In our case, Leia has helped us by being happy, energetic, and loving each day and reminding us that it is a new day, and we can do this.