Author: kat6@illinois.edu

for the very best girl

Today’s Pet of the Week is a little different than usual. Earlier this week, a very good pup who means so much to us at the Help Desk passed away. We’d like to take a moment to tell you about her and remember her.

This is Lilly. Sometimes, her human, Tad, would bring Lilly to work with him, and Lilly would run to the Help Desk for pets and scratches. She had the waggiest tail and gave the best kisses. And there were a few times where Lilly happened to be in the building on the same day that things were pretty stressful at the Desk. We would take breaks to go see Lilly, and she always made our day a little better.

We already miss you so much, good buddy, but we know you’re watching over your humans and you know how much we all love you. Thanks for being the goodest girl.

Maximum Cuteness in Minimum Packaging

I’m not sure if you knew when you woke up today that you were in for an exceptionally special experience, but, boy howdy, are you ever! For your viewing pleasure, the iSchool Help Desk is proud to present…our smolest Pet of the Week ever.

This is Lu. She’s new here. Her human, Brandon, is still getting to know her, but it looks like she’s already excelling at cuteness and cuddles. Lu, if you need to practice any of your kitten skills, we happily volunteer to assist you.

Any new (or old!) furry friends in your life? Send them over to the Help Desk to be our featured Pet of the Week! But only if they’re as cute as Lu. She’s really bringing us to the next level here.

Love Meow or Leave Meow

We made it through July, friends! It’ll be autumn in New York – er – Urbana before we know it. To celebrate, we’ve got a sophisticated lady to share with all of you.

Billie here (or “Miss Brown” to you) doesn’t have much reason to sing the blues. She’s fine and mellow and has an easy living (not to mention plenty of laps to sit in).  Her human, Brandon, thinks she’s too marvelous for words. We’re certainly a fool for her.

Does your furry, fanged, or feathered friend go to your head? Send them in to be our next Pet of the Week! We’d love to give this year’s (digital) kisses to them!

 

proudly hail our alma mutter

Hey, recent iSchool alums! Have you received your diplomas in the mail yet? I can tell you our Pet of the Week certainly has, and, boy!, is she smug about it!

Lucy here will NOT stop barking on about being the valepuptorian of her grrrraduating class. Now that she has a muttster’s degree in advanced cuteness, she’s really the top dog around campus and at home. Her human, Sara, is such a proud puprent. No more ruff nights of studying for this smarty pants!

Have a clever cat or precocious pup in your dorm? Send them in to be our Pet of the Week! If you can handle the bragging, that is.

grey of muzzle, good of boi

Happy long weekend, iSchoolers! Before you frolic off for a few days of summer fun (or marathon Animal Crossing), let’s take a moment to pause and consider the true mysteries of life. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Will they ever bring back Firefly? They say that wisdom comes with age, so perhaps our Pet of the Week can give us some answers.

This is Christopher, and he has been the goodest of bois for 13 years. THIRTEEN. What knowledge rests behind his soulful eyes? What lessons can he teach us? We contacted his humans, Kathryn and Carol, for this report:

Christopher loves penguins. He calls them penglings.

…Christopher is an actual genius.

Have a beautiful mind living in your home? Send their picture and words of wisdom to the Help Desk! They could be our next Pet of the Week!

na na na na na na na na catmaaaaaaan

Excelsior, iSchoolers! In our last episode, we bowed to the awesome power of the One True Queen. Now it’s time to meet the hero the iSchool deserves…AND the one it needs right now (take that, Christopher Nolan)!

Holy Priceless Collection of Etruscan Snoods! Faster than a speeding jingle ball, more powerful than a mid-afternoon snooze attack, able to leap cat towers in a single bound, Catman keeps careful watch over his humans, Carol and Kathryn. This Dark Knight is always on the lookout, always at the ready…for tuna cans to open.

Have a friendly floof in your neighborhood? Send them over to the Help Desk to be our next Pet of the Week! Ka-POW!

our mew-dal superior

Happy weekend, iSchoolers! The sun is still shining here in Urbana, and that’s not just the glowing visage of our Pet of the Week!

Behold! Today we are graced by Principessa Clementina of the House Tilley-LaBarre, First of her Name, the Spicy. This ginger goddess is queen of all she surveys, ruling benevolently over her humans, Kathryn and Carol. Woe be upon all of us who are not as purrfect as Her Majesty.

Do you live with a magnanimous overlord/lady/soverign upon whose image we must bask? Send their finest portrait to the Help Desk, and they could be featured as our Pet of the Week! AS THEY SHOULD BE.

he was clearly framed

It’s Friday again, iSchool! Any fun weekend plans? Any mischief in those plans? This week’s Pet of the Week certainly has a streak of that!

Here’s Bo, a handsome fellow who has definitely been caught in the act of something. Did he stash all of the hair ties under the rug? Did he leave something fuzzy in someone’s shoes? Maybe he chewed on the power cord of his human Melissa’s laptop while she was teaching and class ended prematurely.

Not that he would ever do that.

(He totally did that.)

Best to keep an eye on this clever cutie…

Have an agent of chaos living in your home? Send their mugshot to the Help Desk! They could be featured as our next Pet of the Week!

they see me rollin’ (nat 20s on all charisma checks)

Greetings, iSchool Adventurers! As the sun sets on another week, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on our comrades, both in and out of the classroom. In particular, this fine, furry fighter and Lord of All Creatures (at least for the week).

Finnegan here is brave, loyal, strong, and gives great hugs. We assume. He definitely loves helping his human, Becca, play D&D, and there’s no way he doesn’t win every battle with a skillful swiping of the dice. We’d have Finnegan on our campaign any day.

Does your four-legged friend have more dex than we’d believe? Send their photo (and stats) to the Help Desk! They might be featured as our next Pet of the Week!

Meow Hiring!

We made it through May, iSchoolers! As we move into a new month, the Help Desk is making some changes, including hiring a new employee!

Photo of a black and white cat sitting at a desk behind a laptop

“Henlo, iSchool. Am Dangerous Beans. Am tech support catto. Am very good at computers. Am working from home cuz Corona no good for kittens. Hope my hooman, Sarah, gets new headset for me soon.”

Is your furry friend in need of gainful employment? We can’t promise we’ll hire them, but if you send in their picture, they could be featured as our Pet of the Week! Our four-legged, freeloading roommates claim that’s better than a pay cheque.