Have you ever wondered what pets your friends at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Network have helping them with their day to day tasks? You may have even seen some of our furry (and feathery) friends in the border of a Zoom call or even accompanying them to the office! In this special newsletter post, we would like to introduce you to our animal co-workers!
Dr. Wood
Dr. Wood’s furry friend is a cuddly 3 year old golden retriever named Caper. As you can see, Caper loves his stuffed gnomes and has 3 of his own!
Tim
Tim’s animal family consists of 2 Visla dogs and one beautiful grey & white cat. Tiger Lily is 8 years old and has the softest ears on the planet. She is an excellent hunter of frogs and moles. Ruby Mae is 5 years old and loves to lean into people when they are petting her. You can find her on top of the sofa or pressed against the window. Flatkins is a 13 year old domestic short hair. She was rescued from a campground in West Virginia but still remains mostly feral despite a lot of effort.
Jon
If you’ve ever been in a Zoom meeting with Jon, you likely have already met his cat family. Clara is an 8-year-old orange tabby American Shorthair. Although the smallest mammal in the house, Clara runs the place with an iron paw. She treats Jon as her hobby horse and rides his shoulders daily. Luna is a 4-year-old black tabby American Shorthair. Luna was rescued as a feral kitten by a co-worker at UNCLCN. She’s the baby of the family and uses her cuteness to get belly rubs. Both felines take their jobs in the Squirrel Patrol seriously and keep us updated on clandestine squirrel activities.
Andrew
Being a self-described “cat dad”, there is always a furry family member nearby at Andrew’s house. Finn is a 3 year old rescue that was found hiding under a shed. He was originally destined to be a trap-and-release cat but he instead enjoys a very spoiled life sleeping on shoulders, playing with his toys, and watching his window bird feeder. Andromeda is an 11 year old orange tabby that was also a rescue. She comes equipped with at least 2 brain cells that recharge by laying in the sun on her favorite spot on the porch. Ianto (pictured in memoriam) was a beautiful 12 year old long hair rescue. He was never afraid of anything and loved meeting new people, riding in his stroller, and getting brushed. These three spent many hours together watching birds, squirrels, and surprise mouse guests.
Nadja
Nadja has a trio of feathery friends! Bennett, Star, and Twighlight are cockatiels. We don’t really know how old they are but Bennett is the dad of Star and Twilight. They don’t speak but they have 2 different songs that they’ll sing together.
Oliver
Vinny can be found in most of Oliver’s Zoom meetings in his favorite spot! He is around 6 years and you’ll notice part of his ear is missing. Because of this, he tends to look in the opposite direction of where a loud noise is actually coming from.
Patrick
Patrick’s family include two pitbull mixes and one who is some sort of birdhunting (maybe a Brittney mix) dog. All three are rescues! Birdie and Moo from the Orange County Animal Shelter and Piggy is a foster fail.
Lindsey
Hello my name is Rabbit! I am a five-year-old American Foxhound mix who loves belly scratches. My mom rescued me in January from Saving Grace Animal Rescue, where I was being housed with my puppies. My best friend is a cat named Bella, though she is too shy to admit we are besties. My favorite thing to do is sniff at the air and point at little animals, such as birds and squirrels. It is so nice to meet you!
Barbara
Barbara is just joining the team and brings with her a kittie family as well! Sneakers and Beaker are bonded brothers and foster fails after bringing them to adoption events for months (Sneakers would spit at people who got too close). The others are from feral cat colonies where Barbara did trap-spay-neuter and returned most of them (friendlier kittens/cats placed with a rescue or adopted out to people she knew). Cola was left behind in 2013 when a neighbor moved.
Lauren
Lauren joined UNCLCN as an intern and brings her two dog friends. Charlie pictured in the back is 16 years old loves to explore outside. Charlie Jr., pictured in the front, was named after Charlie and goes by CJ. He is 7 years old and will play fetch for hours.
