Pets of VUMC

October 1, 2018

Pets of VUMC 2018 — Collection #7: Field and stream. Also yard and tub.

Answering the call of the wild

Kaitlin Costello, Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine. “Bean is a 10-year-old Doberman Pinscher mix from the Nashville Humane Association. She was the runt of her litter, but she makes up for it with a giant personality.”

This is the seventh collection of photographs submitted by VUMC employees to the 2018 “VUMC Voice” Pet Photo Contest.

The first collection, called “Duos,” was published  in April. 

The second collection, called “Dogs and their people,” was published in May.

The third collection, vol. 1 of “Dogs! Cats! Beds! Sofas!” was published in  June.

The fourth collection, vol. 2 of “Dogs! Cats! Beds! Sofas!” was published in July

The fifth collection, called “What could go wrong?” was published in August.

The sixth collection, called “Pets on the move” was published in September.

Almost 600 (!) photographs were submitted for the contest. (Remember — the top prize we offer in the contest is a photo of your pet shared in “VUMC Voice.”) And while we won’t be able to use all, or even most, of the pictures we received, we hope to showcase a good sample of the best of the beasts.

If you didn’t send in an entry this year, and your pet is peeved at you about it, please reassure him or her that there will be a “VUMC Voice” Pet Photo Contest next year, but explain that the deadline for entries for this year has passed, and no more pictures will be accepted. We hope your pet understands.

And the pets just keep on comin’. Watch for the next installment of “VUMC Voice” Pets of VUMC 2018 — coming soon.

Danielle Michell, Cardiovascular Medicine. Hobbes, the 2-year-old Australian shepherd.
Tiffanie Markus, Health Policy. “We brought Brandi home when my grandmother passed away. She is extremely loving and a very good listener. She is always smiling.”
Elke Hoffman, Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Barley Bear is a rescue from Georgia. She was thrown out on the street, and hit by a car before her first rescuer found her. She is an 8-year-old St. Bernard/German Shepherd mix. She has no idea how big she is as she plays and snuggles. Her absolute favorite thing on the planet (besides her family) is cold weather. She can be in it playing for hours.”
Deena Stainaker, Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cardiology. “This picture of Banjo was taken in the woods in his pasture in the late summer as he waited for me to take him to the barn for a ride. He looked like a fairy tale horse, surrounded by all those wildflowers.”
Liz Nix, Patient Access Services. Zappa.
Julie Garcia, Pediatric Social Work. “Hawkeye is my early morning running buddy and loves to hike. Additional hobbies include chasing deer, squirrels, and birds in the yard.”
Jessica Hanson, Maternal Fetal Medicine. “Paisley is a 6-year old Dalmatian. Her hobbies include cuddling, giving lots of kisses, chasing bunnies, visiting the local Lowe’s (and getting lots of treats), and taking lots of naps.”
Jessica Bounsana, MCE OR. “Maggie is a 2-year-old brindle mixed breed who has a lot of personality. She has always loved playing dress-up.”
Tara Oliver, Legal Affairs. Dixie playing dress-up.
Cindy Mambugu, Nephrology. “Rico enjoys the summer, and the lake.”
Abigail Bitter, Inpatient General Medicine. “Luna’s favorite activities include going to the dog park, hiking, and napping.”
Kelsey Minix, Epidemiology. “Belle is my beautiful blue heeler. We love long hikes at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.
David Van Hooser, Quality Analytics. “We picked Riley up at the Sumner County shelter when he was 5 months old, and he has grown into a handsome young man.”
Debra Van Derveer, VUMC Real Estate. Tucker.
Jennifer Lutgens, Medicine. “Sam is a stray who made his way to our lucky family in 2016. He/we haven’t stopped smiling about it since.”
Amber Winston, Bill Wilkerson Center. “Lexi is a 10-year-old shih-tzu bichon mix.”
James Drew, Health IT. “Ulanna is a 4-year old German Shepherd. She is a service K9 who supports her human best friend and has been placed with the family for the past 3 years. She is truly a member of the family and keeps a watchful eye out. She loves being outside and going everywhere with her family.”
Michael Rada, Children’s Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy. Bryn the Rhodesian ridgeback.
Kerri Rios, Anesthesiology. Sofi.
Christina Thompson, Neuro ICU. Pola is an 11-year-old husky mix. She was adopted from a shelter in Knoxville at 3 months old. Even in her older years she likes to chase after squirrels, lie on her blanket, going for long walks, and getting treats.”
Lynda Sandefur, NICU. Jojo.
Kristy Garmon, Transplant Pharmacy. Bronson at the American Heart Association 5K.
Jeanne Wallace, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology. “Wally is a 10-year old thoroughbred/draft horse cross. He actively competes in three-day events. The photo was taken at the Middle Tennessee Pony Club Horse Trials at Warner Park which is the oldest continuously running recognized horse trial in North America.”
McKenzie Winecoff, Neuro ICU. Bo the boxer.
Paula Buckner, 6 North Neurosciences. Oscar the shih tzu.
Melanie Gomez, Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. “Lil’ Wayne is a service dog to my 12-year-old son Dominic who has special needs. Lil’ Wayne, simply put, is the joy of our lives. He loves children, giving hugs, playing fetch, and talking. He can say: ‘I love you’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’, and can also understand commands in Spanish, Dutch, and German.”