What would we be without our furry best friends? To celebrate the pets who are always there for us, we connected with North Highlanders’ four-legged companions to talk about naps, snacks and what exactly their humans do when they’re not home. Our pet pals included:
- Morgan Bernez, a short haired terrier belonging to Dianne Bernez, Head of Corporate Philanthropy
- Husker Anic, a golden doodle belonging to Luka Anic, Senior Consultant
- Bali Shah, a Bernese mountain dog belonging to Shaili Shah, Manager
- Baloo Copello, Russian blue cat belonging to Megan Copello, Events Manager
- Leo Byrd, American bulldog belonging to Allie Byrd, SPT Proposal Lead
What’s your favorite tail-wagging treat?
Morgan: Cheese! Please drop the entire block on the floor!
Husker: Food is fine, but I love playing with balls!
Bali: Did someone say cheese?
Baloo: That’s a tough one. I was born without a tail, but I love treats more than anything else. My favorite “treat-treat” at the time is Temptations Mix-ups but my Mommy & Daddy keep threatening to take them away. The mean doctor who gives me shots once a year said 17.5 lbs. is too heavy for a cat.
Leo: I love beef jerky treats, eggs and anything my human will share with me.
Where is your ideal napping spot?
Morgan: Snuggled between comfy pillows on my mom’s bed the minute she leaves the house.
Husker: I don’t understand this “nap” concept. What is that?
Bali: Anywhere cold, like the Alps… or I guess Atlanta on the tile of my human’s shower.
Baloo: In the Instant Pot box which I wouldn’t let my parents throw out, or my Daddy’s lap when he gets home from work.
Leo: On my sofa, the “humans only” sofa and my mom’s bed when she isn’t home.
When your human goes to work, what do you think they do?
Morgan: She makes clicking sounds with something called a ‘keyboard’ – it’s very annoying when she’s home.
Husker: Work? He doesn’t go to daycare too?
Bali: They look at pictures of me, tell their friends stories about me, and buy more treats for me!
Baloo: Mommy works from home when she isn’t traveling. She talks on the phone all day and says a lot of weird words like “demand generation” “campaigns,” “deadlines,” and “budgets.”
Leo: She watches me on camera and counts down the hours until we go to the park!
When your human works from home, where can we find you?
Morgan: Next to her, trying hard to ignore that clicking thing.
Husker: By the armchair in the office! My human loves it when I throw the ball behind the armchair then yelp for help. He just loves getting up every 46 seconds to move the armchair and grab the ball. Rinse and repeat. Humans are so easy to train.
Bali: In their lap, where else should I be? All 95 lbs. of me.
Baloo: Sitting in the chair next to her desk (or in the Instant Pot box).
Leo: When she is not on the phone – sleeping on the sofa; when she is on the phone – next to her barking so everyone on the phone knows she is working from home.
What is your favorite thing to do with your human?
Morgan: Walk! We found delightful things on a lagoon that looked yummy – she called them ‘geese’ (rhymes with cheese so they must be tasty).
Husker: Play, play, play then run then play again, then high-ten, run, jump, fetch, slam, BALL, cuddle, play, jump, push, love, play, drool, drink, fall, catch, and play some more.
Bali: Show them my love by sitting on them. They call it suffocation. I call it admiration.
Baloo: Snuggle, play fetch, and beg them for food at 4 a.m.
Leo: Take my human on walks, jump on her, sit on her, go the park, and eat her leftovers.
Do you have any nicknames?
Morgan: Morgana Le Fey. My human says I morph into King Arthur’s evil half-sister when I see cats, squirrels, trucks, geese and anything that needs to be swiftly taken down.
Husker: They call me Rug, because I’m shaggy and everything sticks to me.
Bali: Bali bear, Ba-ye (the little one calls me that), Bali Baloo, big bear, little bear, wrecking ball.
Baloo: Baloo Bear, Baloosky, Big Guy.
Leo: No, Stop and Rotten Dog.