Pet Comfort During COVID
Remember the GSS Pet Contest a few years ago?
Who knew GSS staff had so many charmers at home! During COVID 19 isolation the comfort of pets is even more important. It's time to catch up with some favorite GSS pets from 2018 and meet some new ones.
Let’s start with an update on the winners of the 2018 GSS Cutest Pet Contest.
Everyone wants to go out and play during COVID
Above is Rudy, 2018 Cutest Dog category winner. To the right is Rudy at 2 years and full of attitude.
Rudy, Cutest Dog 2018 - then and now
After a tough tie-breaking vote, Rudy ended up as the winner among 13 canine contestants at the November, 2018 contest. On the left is Rudy’s 2018 contest photo – and beside it is Rudy today.
Jodie Miller, Health Care Aide from POD, assures us though Rudy is a more mature 2 years old, he is “still full of attitude.” And can’t you just see that in the photo?
Here is Ollie in his 2018 finery and to the right you see his furry family with Ollie, of course, at the top.
Ollie, Cutest Cat 2018 - then and now
The cat contest was also intense. Eight furry charmers to choose from. The winner was Ollie. Maybe the fashionable sweater helped, hand knit in the Andes and brought all the way home by proud owner, Lindy Dowhaniuk, Director, Emergent Services.
It turns out that Lindy has a soft spot for cats and had to make tough choices for the pet contest. Beside Ollie’s 2018 photo, you can see him with his brothers and sisters sheltering in place in sunny comfort. Guess which one is Ollie? Yes – the top cat!
Here is Pippy with the cool hair style that helped her win the ‘other ‘ pet category. The plaque is a lovely reminder of this special family friend.
Pippy, Cutest ‘Other’ 2018 - then and now
Now, sadly, the update on the winner of our ‘Other’ pet category—Pippy, the guinea pig—is not so good.
In early April it was evident to Robynn Strikwerda, Manager of CAT, that Pippy wasn’t her usual energetic self. Eventually, they had to make the tough decision to end her suffering. Fortunately, Robynn advises that Pippy’s sister, Cookie, “is doing well and getting lots of love these days.”
And now let’s check in with other pets you would have ‘met’ at the 2018 GSS Pet Contest...
This is Tucker who put in a mysterious appearance at the 2018 Pet Contest – can you spot him in the photo on the left? To the right, there’s Tucker earlier this year enjoying a winter warm up. It looks like Nicole Webber, Program Manager at SSPSH, makes sure Tucker can get nicely tucked in whenever he wants.
Remember Moose? Above, left, is his 2018 photo. On the right Moose and his brother Merlin, are helping their ‘mom’, Chantelle Phillips, Harm Reduction Specialist at CAT, get ready for her big walk down the aisle last January.
And here Theodore. On the left is his furry 2018 contest entry photo. Theodore isn’t afraid of anything and is the ‘watch cat’ at Paulina Kalinowski’s house. This year, Paulina, MST Coordinator, thought it would be a good idea to get a leash and start taking Theodore out for COVID walks. Looks like Theodore isn’t crazy about that idea…maybe it’s good that cats can’t talk.
This is Sunrise who lives with John Norton, Program Manager, at Cloverleaf Intensive Supports Program in Warburg. To the right is Sunrise on “his favorite perch”, John Norton. (Sunrise wasn’t the cat that John entered into the 2018 contest so maybe this perch is Sunrise’s version of payback).
Now we get to re-visit Mazikeen Hobbes, or Mazi, who lives with—and likely manages—Michelle Gosselin, our Finance Manager. At the left is Mazi’s fashion statement photo from 2018 and on the right Mazi is looking down on her domain. Better not tell her that a second cat may be joining the household.
And here are some new additions to the GSS pet family – very special additions….
This cozy couple with the matching gorgeous brown eyes are Copper and Jayne, they live with Perry Caryk-Bunker, who is an LPN at Shelter/Detox. Jayne is 4 years old and Copper has been a close pal for 3 of those years. Perry says she loves playing with Copper, giving him treats and pretending to be like him.
And here is Sir Dante, all decked out for the fall season. This elegant fellow lives with Nicole Massicotte, Support Worker at Shelter/Detox, and with a whole collection of non-furry reptiles. You’ll see one of Sir Dante’s slinky house mates in the ‘Guess Who/What’ section of this newsletter.
Robb Doucet, Supervisor at Detox/Shelter, enjoys the less furry but really helpful companionship of Peco-Balls, a Plecostomus or type of catfish. Hard to believe, but Peco-Balls started off the size of a nickel. He’s a boy and Robb says he works really hard keeping the aquarium walls crystal clear.
And here is Lucky. Doesn’t her photo on the left fit us all during this COVID experience? Lucky lives with Flordeliza Sullivan, Support Worker at CL-ISP. Fortunately, Flordeliza’s family knows a simple way to cheer Lucky up—run her a bath. On the right, Lucky is about to relax in her own special tub.
And speaking of relaxing, this very unique and very sleepy face belongs to Tader who shares the home of Laura Ostapovich, Support Worker at Shelter/Detox. To the right, Tader is cooling off and getting an automatic face lift at the same time! What does Laura say about him? “...he's a squishy marshmallow face...LOL. Love him to bits❤🧡.”
All these images are a great reminder to relax and find joy in simple ways - especially by spending time with the four or ‘other’ legged friends that we don’t have to social distance from. Thank you all for sharing photos and updates on the pets that warm your lives and homes so they can bring joy to us all.