For those of us working from home at MacPherson’s, we have monthly Happy Hours to reconnect and say a virtual hello. Those of us without feline friends and pup assistants find ourselves a little jealous when the happy hour is brightened by our colleagues’ pets! Mac team members share stories about their art dogs (and cats) who make working from home during a pandemic just a little brighter.
Garrett and Loaf Holmes
“Loaf is a 15 pound 6 year old pup that is half Chihuahua and half Pug. She spends her days being a lazy dog out in the backyard soaking up the sun. She is one of the weirdest animals I have ever encountered: basically a cat in a dog’s body. She plays with the same toy she has had since she was young….a stuffed animal duck that is about the same size as her. She is one of the cutest dogs but also at the same time the ugliest. Her underbite is the most prominent that I have seen.
I told my girlfriend in college (that girlfriend is now my wife) that we could not get a dog about 1000 times. One time I said, “Okay I guess a dog wouldn’t be the worst thing,” and the next day we have loaf. She was about the size of a bathtub sized rubber duckie when we first got her out in Spokane, Washington. As a puppy, she enjoyed nighttime walks past the busy bars in Pullman Washington where drunk patrons would be very friendly and give her random bites of pub food.
She has been working from home with me as my assistant for almost 4 years now. She has won ‘Employee of the Month’ 45 months and counting. She is surprisingly fast, will only get wider from here, and is very smart when her reward is food….now that I think about it I have a lot of similarities with her…” Garrett Holmes, Sales Operations Manager
Cassie and Jack and Algy Brehmer
“Jack and Algy are terrible co-workers, really only showing an interest in what I’m doing when there is a video call they can interrupt or a detailed project they can lay on top of. Outside of work they are wonderful. They have been with me for nine years (as of last week), in three cities and six apartments. Jack usually helps me test out pens. Algy is more of a ribbon guy, but I don’t get much of that across my desk. ” Cassie Brehmer, Account Manager
Vicky and Smokey Toth
“Smokey is the friendliest cat I’ve ever had. He loves people and all the attention he can get from them. When my husband and I sit on the couch, he is always around to sit in one of our laps. He takes turns too so we don’t feel left out. He also likes food, so if anything remotely edible falls on the floor, he is right there to clean it up.
He was my husband’s cat originally, and when we moved in together, Smokey came along. I already had another cat, so it took some time to integrate them, but they get along just fine now.
During work hours I have a chair set up next to me, and one of the cats usually hangs out with me: they are supervising. Sometimes they demand the chair on the weekend too. They like to work overtime!” Vicky Toth, Senior Inventory Analyst
George, Pumpkin and Buddy Bethurem
“Somehow my dog Buddy disappeared and Pumpkin appeared during Happy Hour! Both Buddy and Pumpkin were strays. Pumpkin was a SF street cat (we got her from the Macy’s adoption program). Buddy was wandering the streets of Oakland. He followed my daughter and her English Sheepdog home. They tried but never located the owner so my wife and I took him. He gets along great with Pumpkin.
I’m sure both Buddy and Pumpkin love having us around since we give them treats regularly. They both spend their days on my deck overlooking my hillside, waiting for gophers or anything else to appear. Both Buddy and Pumpkin are about eight years old.” George Bethurem, Account Manager
Dave and Aristotle Seymore (aka: Ari S’mores) Tavel
“Ari came to us by way of an animal rescue organization in Tennessee. His personality is as adorable as his looks. Just about everything he does is cute. He’s very charming, goofy, sweet and gentle. He loves having dad around the house all the time. He thinks I’m here just to play with him!
Shelter in place is so much more bearable having him here. Just looking at Ari will sure raise your spirits.” Dave Tavel, Digital Projects Manager
Do you have an Art Dog or Cat or Fish or Newt you want spotlighted by Art Dog? Send over some pics and tell us about them! We feature one Art Dog a month and are looking for our fall lineup of industry pets!
