By Emiliana Santandreu and Jillian Philo
There’s a new trend this spring! But this trend isn’t about the latest fashions or the newest technology. Five faculty members at Hewitt have recently acquired new pets!
Mr. Viscusi has his hands full with his little dog, Dug. He remembers the day he received Dug like it was yesterday. “The day of the TEDxYouth conference at Hewitt, my wife and Devon went to Pets on Lex. I was sitting in the back of the gym, listening to someone giving their speech, and all of a sudden I see Devon waving his arms and shouting ‘Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!’ So I picked him up and asked him what. He said, ‘I want the doggy at the store! His name is DUG!’ So I sighed and said, ‘Fine, get it.’ We took him home that night.” Even though his son Devon loves Dug, he gets annoyed with him sometimes. “One night, my wife and I were upstairs, and all of a sudden we hear Devon crying and screaming, ‘Somebody help me!’ We figured he needed to find a way to deal with Dug, but after a couple of minutes, we tip-toed downstairs to see what was going on. We found Devon curled up in the fetal/armadillo position with a six pound dog licking his head.”
Another new dog owner is Dr. Sabol, who recently acquired his thirteen week old golden retriever puppy, Bear. When asked about Bear’s name, Dr. Sabol told us, “Even though he doesn’t quite look like a bear just yet, Bear will look like a bear pretty soon.” Just like every pet, Bear has a personality of his own! He enjoys chewing on slippers, shirts, and even electrical cords. Dr. Sabol tells us it’s hard to get mad at Bear because he’s so tiny and adorable. “He can be a little chaotic at times, but he’s so very cute that it’s hard to remain mad at him. He’s very small.”
Mrs. Gallin is just one of the many faculty members who have gotten new cats. Her daughter in graduate school felt a “spiritual connection” to a cat named Colette inside of an ASPCA van. She adopted the furry feline, but since she’s in graduate school, she needed someone to take care of Colette. Mrs. Gallin gladly agreed to watch over her daughter’s beloved cat. Colette is an eight and a half pound, two year old cat who likes to play fetch. “If you throw a toy she likes she’ll bring it back to you like a dog,” Mrs. Gallin tells us. Since she is nocturnal, she likes to play with her toys in the middle of the night. Mrs. Gallin was a dog person for a long time, and was against having a cat as a pet, but she has learned to love Colette.
Another cat owner is Dr. Burgess, who just adores her “marmalade marshmallow,” Alex. When asked about her cat’s nickname, she told us “He is orange on top like marmalade, and white on the bottom like a marshmallow.” When asked about what it’s like having a new cat, she says, “It’s very exciting, because you want to give the cat time and space to figure out his new environment and get to know you. So there are always lots of adventures.” But being a cat owner is nothing new to Dr. Burgess. She says that she has had cats her whole life; she loves them because they are laid back and easy to take care of, and despite what people believe about cats being remote and detached, they actually have very unique personalities.
Ms. Trilling also has two new cats named Blackie and Loki. She tells us that Blackie has an unusual habit: he likes to play fetch with empty rolls of Scotch tape, and both of her cats like to chew on her knitting needles! When asked why she got cats instead of dogs, Ms. Trilling says that she feels as though cats are easier to take care of when you live in the city.
Whether you have a cat or a dog, owning a new pet is a fun-filled adventure! We wish all of our faculty members luck with their new furry companions!