Pets of the GI

The pets of the GI are as diverse as the people!

Have a pet you want to add to the gallery? Send a photo of your pet, or you AND your pet, to uaf-gi-public-info@alaska.edu or submit it via the GI Newsletter submission form. Include information for a caption, no more than 25 words. Pet's name? Owner's name? and anything special about your critter/s.

Select an image below to enlarge the photo and view the caption. Arrows at the bottom of each photo scroll through all the images in the gallery or exit the enlarged view.

Aggy Boldt has a wonderful kitty named George. He really loves to share his feelings — he's always meowing — and is the sweetest and snuggliest boy!

Meet Serina Wang's sweet kitty Tangyuan, aka Tangy, who is named after the white Chinese dessert Tangyuan. Tangy is a little over a year old and has been really enjoying living in Alaska — infinite sunbathing in the summer and pretty snow in the winter.

This is Pearl, the-eight-week-old perfectly fluffy addition to Tracy Durnan's canine family. She joins 12-year-old Frodo in this photo from their first meeting. It was love at first sight for Frodo, and now he won't let anyone else go near little Pearl, including their 18-month-old Alaskan Husky pup, Tally.

Veleda A. Paiva Muller joined UAF as a joint GI/CNSM appointment in May 2026. Goose and she are shown hanging out in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona on a gorgeous sky day.

Crystal Ruerup says no one asked Boots the cat but he’s coping much better than they expected. Star was a typhoon rescue. “She is the best behaved dog I’ve ever met!”

This is Winnie, the new addition to GI Communication Director Becky Lindsey's household. Winnie is a three and half month old chocolate lab. She has tons of energy, and a soft spot for treats.

Paula Earp rescued Otis from the Fairbanks animal shelter. She says he is the best companion, traveler, cuddler and alert dog anyone could ask for. He loves to chase after his toys. But even more, he loves to BE chased around with his toys in his mouth! Or to nap in the grass on a warm sunny day.

Tracy Durnan of GI Operations has a new rescue puppy! Her name is Tally, she is a 10-month old Alaskan Husky mix, we call her our giant puppy. She is very sweet and gives love without restraint. She is our older dog's new emotional support dog.

Kas Knicely's cat Citrine (named for the mineral) is trying to tempt her into sleeping in on a workday. Citrine, a sweet male tabby, is a cantankerous curmudgeon without his cuddles, Kas says, and he makes sure to let let it be known when he hasn't received enough. The room is blue because Kas likes blue Christmas lights for illumination, saying she much prefers it, especially when trying to wind down for the night.

Lilly is Rod Boyce and Julie Stricker's rescue chinchilla who has been with them since 2016. “We got her from friends whose kids didn’t want her any more,” Rod said. “They got Lilly from Two Rivers School, where Lilly was an uninspiring class pet. She is quite aloof, yet she demands attention. She’s not cuddly and won’t let anyone hold her, but she insists on being scratched under the chin, on the cheeks and behind the ears. I think she likes me the most but in a reluctant sort of way.”

Fen the Bog Dog is Holly Dean's furry friend. Fen is a typical Labrador who thinks everyone wants to be his best friend and he knows no strangers. He loves to ski and bikejor, and go sledding with our family. He also loves a good belly rub, and if you can find the sweet spot behind his ears he will purr for you.

Emma Steinhauer of GIBO has twin black cats whose names are Adam and Milo. They are big mama's boys and get very mad when Emma leaves. They love to follow her and make sure what she's doing won't harm her.

Emma Steinhauer of GIBO has twin black cats. This is Milo.

Emma Steinhauer of GIBO has twin black cats. This is Adam.

Master Fayt, who lives with Kaz Storm and is also occasionally called Destroyer of Cords, Bringer of Chaos and Snuggle Master 3000, is five years old. Most scars earned in the last five years can be attributed to a “twist of Fayt,” usually prompted by a mosquito in the house spooking the spookster.

Kaz Storm's Ms. Gingersnaps (a.k.a Ginny-Kitty) has always had a cranky face but is the absolute sweetest. She perpetually gives kitten vibes with her size but is all about the lap warming. At 17, she knows what she wants and is not afraid to shout for it.

This sweet, beautiful lady is Voodoo, she lives with Hannah Bell, who works for the GI HR office. Voodoo's favorite activity is going on neighborhood walks with her family!

Binx and Drizzt love their cuddle puddle. They make up the feline members of Bailey Olalde's family.

All the smiles from Bailey Olalde's canine family members Bolt, Esmeralda and Nanook.

Tracy Durnan's dog, Frodo, and cat Hazel, are adjusting to life in Alaska, enjoying some time outside on the deck together.

This cheeky little guy lives with Crystal Ruerup who works in the Director's Office. Boots came to Crystal's house already named seven years ago, but he also goes by Burnt Loaf, Bootses McMurderface and Boots Underfoot of the Shire.

Shawna Durfey’s of ACUASI’s little life partner since she was 8 weeks old is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Canvas. She will be 6 years old in July 2024. She's the world's worst beggar of food and best little spoon in bed.

Here is Rocket, who belongs to Becky Lindsey's family. He is a nine year old black lab who loves to swim, chase the ball and eat blueberries. In his prime he loved to retrieve birds.

Sara Wilbur's Yukon Gold Potato ("Yukie") was a COVID adoption. Here he is posing in front of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, AZ.

Sara Wilbur's Junie was rescued from Fairbanks Animal Control in 2016. Here she is being a very good girl with her toys.

This is Doreen Hayward's foster fail Kiva (also known as Kiva Diva, Boo-Boo, Old Goat). She recently turned 12 years old, but sure doesn't act like it. We aren't totally sure of all the breeds that make up our sweet Kiva, but she is part Rat Terrier, Chihuahua, and possibly Miniature Greyhound. We adopted Kiva from the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter in April 2022. We continue to foster other dogs and Kiva makes sure newcomers have the socialization they crave. Remember, adopt, don't shop!

Ned Rozell's dog Cora has walked across Alaska. Last week, she walked to a cabin with Ned.

Rita Murphy's springer spaniel Kache likes to lounge on the stairs.

Rita Murphy, accounting coordinator in the GI Business office, bundles her dachshund Kassee up against the cold.

Joshua Jones would like to introduce Seve Agilisteros the border collie.

Woody is an Alaskan husky and skijor partner of GI research associate Eric Petersen. He also enjoys a good canoe ride when the weather is nice.

Bree Thompson's kitty cat Leo practicing his gymnastics.

Nugget is doing his cat duty in preventing Scott Stihler from actually getting any work done. Well done, Nugget!

Suka is a female lab/pointer mix who is living her best life with the Gillespie family. She was adopted in February 2022 from the Fairbanks shelter and found her furever home with her new pawrents, Dillon and Marine.

Here is Ariel Traxler's best buddy, Ringo (named after Ringo Starr).

Research Professor Emeritus Roman Motyka's buddy Darby on the couch.

JR's new puppy Bumi with his monkey before the monkey got a buzz cut.

Yolanda, queen incarnate, dominating a game of chess against Lynn Kaluzienski, GI Visiting Scholar.

Bubbles is a year-old lab. He likes to look out the back window on car rides and loves to cuddle with grad student Valerie Wasser.

Jebediah (Jeb - left) and Evengelica (Eve), Brian Dixon’s two best companions. Both are English Yellow Labrador Retrievers born in Chugiak, Alaska, but they have been all over the continent since then.

Sean Regan and Cobalt the geologizing dog crossing the Canwell Glacier, which sits on the Denali Fault. Follow Cobalt on Instagram at @gneisslabs!

Nicole Houseweart's Tela is an 8 year old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog mix who lives for food and naps.

Nicole Houseweart's Jerry is an 8 year old German Shepherd who loves to talk and throws his own tennis ball.

Bob McCoy's herd on the way to get the mail.

Laura Connor recently got a puppy, Frank, and he is good buddies with our other dogs, Hannah and Bella.

Bucky is an excellent sleeper. He allows Cheryl Petersen to open the door for him and his co-cat.

Rudy is very helpful in any room. He shares a house with Cheryl Petersen, some guy and another cat.

Felix Schoening, AKA “FeFe,” “Fe The Cuteness” and “Iron Dog,” is the dear noisy companion of Lori Schoening’s son, Jared. FeFe’s hobbies are snuggling his humans and barking at cars, walkers, other dogs, birds, windblown leaves and empty space. He likes walks, too.

Pepper Schoening, also known as Bitey McBiteface, is the utterly spoiled and beloved dog of Lori Schoening’s daughter, Maya. Pepper enjoys long walks, hoarding all the dog toys, and wooing people with her adorableness before snapping at them.

Dogs from Camp K9 Kin operated by Arna Dan Isacsson - a foster home where dogs matter in and of themselves. Being active together is how we stay harmonious.

Ashley Fischer's Lucy.

Miss Milli is a failed foster. That means LJ Evans thought this was a temporary arrangement, just for a couple of months while Milli was finding a new home. That was in May 2018!

Don Hampton's Stella makes sure that any Zoom meeting is run efficiently, and ends with a good brushing with the stiff brush.

Vicki Daniels finally remembered to send a pic of her sweet Lucy.

Jacob Pratt's Timber is a two year old mastiff/lab mix (best guess) and Jacob is a masters student in the Sea Ice group.

Nettie Labelle-Hamer says "Here is a somewhat ridiculous picture of my somewhat ridiculous dog. Nike came to me at a time when I really needed a puppy to love and we have been deep in a mutual admiration relationship ever since she was 9 weeks old. A two-year-old now, she is super smart and spoiled rotten and sweeter than pie -- all at the same time. She's a black golden doodle, which in my book is a unicorn."

Lucky was Samantha Wiser’s little dude and best friend. He always made her laugh or provided cuddles when she needed them most. He fetched his mouse across the rainbow bridge on the afternoon of May 1st, but he will always be a pet of the GI.

Lynda McGilvary's Newt keeps her coffee nice and warm while she works at home.

This is Mir, the only puppy to survive from her litter of four. She is sweet most of the time and loves her family (David Newman, Uma Bhatt and our son Tilahun) but she is a fierce watch dog (part Akita and part Anatolian Shepard). She has a loud bark and I think our neighbors are ready to kill us since she spends much time outside when we are teaching during this stay-at-home period. Mir means peace in Russian but her voice is not too peaceful!

Pearly is a fluffy ball of attitude, Jami Warrick says.

Norah is Jami Warrick's smart and sweet pup.

This little guy is a new edition to the Colby Wright GI family. His name is Samson, and he is an eight-week-old chocolate lab. He loves the snow and naps right now, and he loves to play with his little stuffed animals. He is going to be a big boy soon enough!

Harley helps Ariel Traxler get through the work day.

Freya is the black dog (lab mix) and Mazie is the grey dog (elkhound mix). Colleen Morey says the caption is Giddyup!

Midnight, supervising Kevin Galloway while working from home.

Miri’s nickname is ‘Scarf' because she likes to be wrapped around your neck. When they get bored or want your attention, both of Cathy Cahill’s cats open cupboards and drawers.

Bigfoot weighs sixteen pounds and is polydactyl, meaning he has extra toes on his paws. Bigfoot has 22 toes instead of the normal 18. You can see his front paw mittens as he sits in Cathy Cahill's clean, warm laundry.

Egg belongs to Oscar, Lillian Andersen-Misel’s son. We decided about a year ago to start making these little scenes for her, this one is Egg in Space. Egg is a good model — as long as there are snacks!

Black=Minniq, 13 years old, from Galena. Brown=Abe, 4 years old, Australian Shepard bred in North Pole. Good buddies. Abe is wacked out, says Matt Sturm.

Kelly Eagan's dog Ivy soaks up some bright sunshine on West Ridge.

Fritz Freudenberger's dogs Wynnie, left, and Ruth, making their best puppy eyes as they hope for food and pets.

Vader, who owns Hannah Foss, back when he was adopted from the rescue, in all his too-many-toes style.

Craig Stephenson's cat Korra disguising herself as fruit to the best of her ability.

Lynda McGilvary's Trouble is caught in the act—and she’s not sorry!

Two of Amy Jacob's four dogs, Mickey and Rosie. Can you guess which one is Mickey?

Cassandra Ellis' dog Jazzper finds working at home exhausting and takes short breaks napping in the sun.

Debbie Ice's goldendoodle, Shasta, hails all the way from Alabama. She's still small and resembles a teddy bear now, but once full grown, she'll likely weigh in at around 20 lbs!

This is Sable, the newest member of Rod Boyce's family. We adopted her from the borough animal shelter in late February 2024. She's a 9-year-old Pyrenees mix and weighs 99 pounds. She's a super sweet house dog, replacing a dog we lost to Doggie Heaven late last year. Sable will be getting a lot of exercise on walks to lose a few of those pounds.