MSTPets: Part 15
Here’s an ode to our furry (and not-so-furry) friends who help us study for anatomy practicals, keep us company while we write our papers and thesis dissertations, and welcome us home after a long shift on surgery.
MSTPet: Copper (aka “Coppaccino”)
Age: 6 weeks old
MSTParent: Ansley Kunnath (M2)
Research Interests: Copper is currently completing his project titled “Dose-dependent effects of cappuccinos on late night zoomies” at the Vanderbilt Institute for Coffee Studies
Fun Fact: Copper’s favorite hobby is climbing up window screens all the way to the top, crying until his mom helps him get back down, and then doing it all over again!
MSTPets: Skippy (white/tan/chocolate) and Gracie (black/white/tan)
Ages: 13 years old and 2 years old
MSTParent: Ericka Randazzo (rising M1)
Fun Facts: They’re both rat terriers and love to sunbathe. Skippy has mydriasis, so he wears “doggles” when it’s really sunny outside.
MSTPets: Lucky (aka Duck) and Lucy (aka Goose)
Ages: 19 & 10 years old
MSTParent: Julie Gannon (MSTP Financial Units and Grants Manager)
Fun Facts: We LOVE to tag team the dogs in our family. One of us will lure a dog down a dark corridor while the other lurks in a corner. At just the right moment, the lurker will pounce, causing maximum mayhem until our mommy calms everyone down. The dogs have attempted to pull the same trick on us, but we’re too smart to fall for it. Silly dogs.
MSTPets: Hazel & Nyla
Age: 1 year old
MSTParent: Hailey Kresge (M1)
Field of Study: Acrobatics
Fun Fact: Hazel & Nyla both love water and will jump into the sink if you turn the faucet on. They even once managed to turn the kitchen faucet on themselves.
MSTPet: Calypso (aka Callie)
Age: 1-2 years old
MSTParent: Lex Erath (VMS 3) and Riley Bergman (G1)
Field of Study: Whatever I have to learn to get more treats!
Fun Fact: Everything is a fetch toy if you believe hard enough! I also love long walks, making friends at the dog park, learning new tricks and waiting for my parents to leave food out on the counter and walk away!
MSTPet: Ava, PhDiva
Age: 6 years old
MSTParents: Mollie Limb (VMS 4), Ericka Randazzo (M1), Nowrin Chowdhury (G2), Camille Wang (G2)
Faculty Position: Sass Master Extraordinaire
Fun Fact: She has one extra toe and one extra finger on every paw. Special talents include but are not limited to: giving side eye, fake limping to get attention, collecting hair ties in her food bowl, ignoring you until you’re sleeping then crying all night at your closed door.
MSTPets: Oz (orange tabby) and Cordelia (black striped patches and white patches)
Age: 4 months old
MSTParents: Rachel Brown (G4) and Matthew Stier (‘19)
Fun Fact 1: Their names continue the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” theme we have for all of our pets including Buffy, Willow, Spike, and Anya (R.I.P.). On the show, Oz is a redhead and the name seemed to fit the kitten perfectly.
Fun Fact 2: Cordelia was orphaned, but fostered and nursed by Oz’s mom, so they are bonded like siblings.
Oz’s Science Fair Project (they haven’t gotten to their PhDs yet): Effects of Roundworm Infection on Flatulence
Cordelia’s Science Fair Project: How Far Can I Run Before Mom and Dad Catch Me?