If you’ve ever owned a pet, you know how much joy, healing and unconditional love a furry, fishy, feathered or even scaly friend can bring to your life!  Here is a great article about The Mood Boosting Power of Pets! This week we’re introducing the CfR staff pets.

-Erika

Tiffany Greene, Marketing Coordinator: Ruby Greene is a 9 year-old deaf Australian Cattle Dog.  She is always by your side, willing for an adventure (especially if it involves anything with wheels) and lives to play fetch. Favorite food includes vegetable table scraps and coffee with cream.

Wendy Gawlik, Regional Program Manager: Rock and Jack were adopted from the local shelter in August 2013.  They are brothers even though one is longhaired and the other short.  Jack got his name from the breed Jack Russell Terrier because he never sits still.  Rocky was named after the neighbor’s dog that she took care of for years.  Favorite things for both to do:  Go outside, sit in boxes, sit near the wood stove, play mouse game on iPad and greet her at the door.

Rocky’s favorite things to do:  eat – has never met a meal or food he did not like or finish, eat cardboard, sit in boxes way too small for him and most importantly relax.

Jack’s favorite things to do: chase flies; chase birds, chase chipmunks and chase Rocky.

Martha Robertson, National Participant Coordinator: Martha and Pingo have participated in agility and rally trials, shared a kayak and canoe, walked for hours, cross-country skied in the woods over miles and miles, and played for countless days with Martha’s twin sister and her dog, who is Pingo’s best friend (and, coincidentally, looks like his twin).  Now that he is older, walks have turned into strolls that she cherishes; the pace with which they follow each other around has slowed, but that’s just fine, because, well, they are still following each other around! Pingo is her pal and companion and, like any good friend, he always makes her laugh.  He is kind, trusting, trust-worthy, uncomplicated, and good-natured. Those beautiful eyes must surely be a reflection of his gentle heart.

Yep, of all the dogs in the world, Martha has Pingo, and boy, she is happy and grateful for it.

Denise Boynton, Equipment and Merchandise Manager: Willie and Wyatt are her babies! Willie, in the green collar, is 5 years old.  Wyatt, in the red collar, is 2 years old this month.  Both are black Labs from Montana that love the snow, snuggling and cookies!

Candi Odde, Grants Manager: Has quite the furry and feathery family! There is Teebo (11) the Shih Tzu.  Batman (2) the barn cat.  Goosey Loosey (9), Ducky Lucky (?), Turkey Lurkey (8), Henny Penny (?) and Rooster (3) are fast feathered friends! Not to be forgotten, her dearest sweet Bella, who was an English Mastiff.  Her official name was Princess Isabella Drooly and boy was she drooly! The name fit her to a tee.  Sadly, Bella passed away at the age of 11 this April. She is missed so much by Candi and her family. Check out the sweet photo of Bella kissing Batman’s head! *Newest edition while compiling this blog, meet Cotton a rescue duck found on Cotton Lake that is now with Candi and the rest of her flock.

Lise Lozelle, Marketing Director: Her furry family includes C.B. (Coyote Bait) who is a tiny teacup Chihuahua. She weighs less than 5 lbs. She has no idea how small she is.  She’s the leader of the pack!  Tucker, aka Chicken or Chickie, is a 10-year-old Lab/Greyhound mix. He’s the old man.  He loves to run, is super sweet, yet scared of his own shadow. Rillo, officially “Texas Amarillo Rose,” is the latest addition. She is a Labrador Retriever and just turned a year old. She loves to swim, run, fetch and eat anything and everything! Her nickname is Bad Dog.

Whitney Milhoan, Executive Direction: This is Whitney’s dog Charlie, her best girl. She is the sweetest thing. She’s half chocolate lab and half springer spaniel and she’s almost 13 years old! Charlie has been on countless adventures by her side, on rivers and up mountains. She was a patient teacher to her kids when they were small and is now a loyal companion as they embark on their own mini adventures together.

Stirling Elliott, Accounts Manager: Meet Indigo River “Indie.”  She is an 8-month old yellow lab.  Indie loves tennis balls, hiking with her family, and the sprinklers.  She also loves her job as greeter/paper shredder at Casting for Recovery in Bozeman.

Erika Michanowicz, Regional Program Manager: These are Erika’s dear sweet kitties and office mates, who are clearly very hard at work here in this photo.  Langston, the orange tabby, is only a year old and already he is as big as his big calico sister, Muckluck, who is now 8 years old!  Langston follows Muck around everywhere she goes.  They have Erika well-trained, as they like to wrestle up and down the hallway like a herd of elephants in the wee hours of the morning to trick Erika into getting them an early snack.  Then they go back to bed while she is left wide-awake!

Susan Gaetz, National Program Director: Here’s Susan’s pup, Freeway!  He is a 9 year old Golden Retriever, living in Austin, TX.  He’s a rescue – was found under a Freeway and that’s how he got his name.  They adopted him at age 2.  Check out his Pearly Whites (recent teeth cleaning)!  Freeway loves his stuffed toys, belly rubs, fetching the ball and lounging on the couch.

Jen Lofgren, Regional Program Manager: Though Jen is not presently a dog owner,  she has lots of step-dogs, too many to list! Here are a few: The first dog pictured is her lab Daisy, who has been gone 4 years. She was the gentlest, most loving animal Jen has ever known, and a wonderful fishing dog.

The vizsla belongs to Jen’s housemates, and her name is Grace. She is the funniest dog – very animated, and extremely loyal/protective. The bottom two labs are from separate litters, same lineage, 2 years apart. They belong to her dear friend’s the Bell’s, and the youngest is named Ruthie, the eldest Maggie. Maggie is getting ready to move to Tennessee while her Mom, Katie, gets her Master’s degree at the University of Tennessee. The last pictured lab is Willy. Jen says she is funny, sweet and ‘willful’, thus the name. All of these animals fill her heart, and Jen is grateful to be able to love and care for them until she has one of her own again.