Many people don’t know it but pets put the P in PMG! We have so many technicians that travel to project assignments around the U.S. with pets that we even offer Pet Insurance as part of our benefits package. Pets put a lot of joy in life for many of us and we want to celebrate that whenever we can.

We celebrated National Adopt a Cat Day in June with the stories of some of PMG’s favorite feline friends. This month, in honor of National Dog Day on August 26, our blog is going to the dogs! Founded in 2004 by renowned pet and animal expert, Colleen Paige, the intention of this day is to bring attention to the plight of animals around the globe and encourage adoption. We want to celebrate all the positive things that dogs, adopted and otherwise, bring to our lives by highlighting some of our favorite PMG pooches and how much their families love them!

Nevada

This is Nevada (Ada). We got her in April 2020, during the middle of the pandemic. She is definitely a pandemic puppy because she hates that everyone is now going back to in-person work/school! Ada loves boat rides and puppuccinos from Starbucks! You can find her on Instagram @nevadathedoodle .

– Bree S., LD Recruiter

Tucker

Tucker will be 11 years young in October. I say that because he doesn’t let his age slow him down! He loves to play fetch, go for walks and will spend hours pacing the shoreline for fish. Sometimes, when I am working, he will lay under my desk & then peek his head out and watch me work (as pictured).

– Kathy M., Lead Gen & Sales Enablement Manager

 

Bruno

Here is my furry friend, Bruno. His back story isn’t a big one and it’s simple. He was meant for me because we both share the same birthdate. ?

– Terrena J., Administrative Manager – PMG Energy

 

Penny

This is Penny and she’s a rescue. She joined my life last summer and I feel so lucky to have her! She only has one tooth, and her favorite toy is a squeaky, stuffed “White Paw” can.

– Colleen B., Lead Generation Associate

 

Gretchen

Where do I even begin? Up until about 3 years ago I didn’t even like dogs. After years of nagging, my husband and kids convinced me the timing was right to consider a dog. Long story short – we rescued the most amazing little border terrier/chihuahua mix. Her name was Gretchen when we met her and she responded to Gretchen – so we stuck with that. Gretch has honestly been the most amazing decision we’ve ever made as a family.

She’s our little therapy dog when we need her to be, our exercise dog when we need that, and a snuggle buddy when we need that. She’s incredibly sweet and very generous with her tail wags and slobbery kisses. She even led me to safety after a fall into a raging river once (it’s a long story and maybe not as dramatic as I make it sound). That bonded us for sure. I can’t imagine life without her now! She filled a hole in our hearts we didn’t realize needed to be filled. I’m officially a dog mom and that whole ‘who rescued who’ thing definitely applies to Gretchen and our little family!

– Elizabeth B., Human Resources Manager

Casey

How we came to adopt a dog, after I swore I’d never have a pet in my house, and how that decision led our family from the Twin Cities to North Dakota is a story all by itself. But how Casey came to join, and improve, our family is its own tale entirely!

We woke up early, left our house at 6:30am, drove through a snow storm, and met Casey at 10:30am. By 10:53am, we were in our car with a new passenger! She was officially part of the family and we were on our way back home. We later found out from the foster that she had “saved” Casey for us because she knew the sweetheart that Casey was needed to be with us, a family, and kids. Wow!

Casey is her given name from TMAR (Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue). Her nicknames include Casey Girl, Casey-dilla (as in quesadilla), and Lady. We thought about changing her name but felt she’d been through enough changes that she didn’t need another one. Additionally, it was always my mom’s hope that I would have the nickname “KC” (first initial K, middle initial C) but it never panned out, so this was inviting a little piece of that into our family, as well.

To make a long story longer, she’s been an absolutely wonderful addition to our family. She gets me outside on long walks even on the coldest of winter days, she’s taught my kids how to predict & know the needs of (and love) someone who cannot communicate verbally, makes us smile constantly, teaches us to manage through unfortunate events (like favorite shoes being chewed up), gives us the opportunity to meet new people (since she’s always a topic of conversation anywhere we go), and most importantly is a space of love whether we’re feeling down or feeling good. 

It was quite the process and series of events (some we knew of, some we didn’t) to get her into our home but we are so glad they played out in the way they did. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

– Kim M., Technical Manager & Coach

Sindri & Loki

I grew up on a farm, and still run one, so I’ve always had dogs. I ask a lot of them too. They hunt, they herd, they control varmints, and I still expect them to be good family members too. In almost 40 years, I’ve never had a bad dog but Loki still stands out as extra special despite that fact. He’s a Heeler/Brittany mix and he was the first dog I ever brought home without having an older dog to show him the ropes. He’s also the first animal I brought home after my oldest niece was born. For more than 11 years he’s been training me constantly. I’m a better person, parent, farmer, hunter, and trainer because of the things he’s taught me about patience, communication, and commitment. I tell him every day that I love him and I don’t even feel silly about it!

Loki has been such a great teacher he made my girls want to raise and train dogs of their own. By November of 2018 he’d taught them enough that I felt they were ready to try. As luck would have it, a friend’s dog had recently had a litter of Tri-Collie/Terrier puppies and one of them chose us! A couple months later, Sindri came to join us at his forever home. He and my girls have been learning lessons ever since and it’s pure joy to witness.

I couldn’t be happier with, or prouder of, either of these dogs and I take every opportunity I can to brag about them. If you’re on the fence about getting a dog it’s time to get off. Let your furever friend find you today and, I promise, tomorrow you’ll be bragging too!

– Josh E., ReTool PR & Engagement Specialist

Josh Erickson, ReTool Public Relations & Engagement Specialist