National Pet Day sneak peek

April 11 is almost here, and you know what that means – National Pet Day cuteness overload!

Special thanks to all our faculty, students, residents and staff for sharing adorable pictures of their favorite pets. The Public Affairs and Marketing team received more than 30 photos.

Here’s what some colleagues shared about their pets, and what they mean to them:

“This little spoiled kitty (Romeo) was abandoned as a kitten at a gun range when he was just two weeks old. I initially served as his foster mom. Through hours of bottle feeding and with the odds stacked against us, I fell in love. Now, this 5-year-old kitty lives a pampered life. He meets me at the door, loves to snuggle, and is the most Velcro animal I have ever had the honor of caring for.” – Misty Mandeville, nurse professional development specialist

“Our family pet is an Iguana; her name is NewNew. She loves to eat raspberries and bok choy. Fun fact about NewNew is that she loves to be called pretty girl, she will let you pet her and she closes her eyes while you say nice things about her.” – Anallely Garcia, administrative assistant  

Honoring those that have crossed the rainbow bridge

Our animals become such intricate parts of our lives. When they pass, it often feels like a piece of our heart is missing. We honor and appreciate those that filled our lives with joy – and perhaps some growing pains.

Here’s what some UC Davis Health community members had to say about their beloved pet:

“This is Sadie. I had her for a wonderful 16 years before she passed last July. This pic exemplifies her personality, all good, never better. Some people called her ‘helicopter tail’ because when she was on the hunt for something, her tail wagged like a propeller.” – Anna Olszewski, assistant nurse manager

“Our Baloo loved to watch us cook and BBQ. He was our professional taste tester and food critic. He enjoyed basking in the sun and fireside siestas in the winter. He had selective hearing, despised the costumes that his Lola made him wear, and refused to take walks, but enjoyed car rides. He passed away on St. Patrick’s Day this year and took the rainbow bridge home.” – Yolanda Bradshaw, GI nurse

“Pikachu is the larger sized looking dog. He passed away last September from battling bladder cancer for 2 years. Violet (smaller dog on the left) is still alive and well and we will be celebrating her 15th birthday this summer.” – Wendy Lam

For more National Pet Day photos, check out the UC Davis Health social media channels @UCDavisHealth.