We’ve all been there. We spend hours upon hours with eyes glued to a computer screen filled with squares of human beings. Many are visibly tired. Some are forcing a smile. Others have their cameras turned off, only represented by a grey screen with a name. Then suddenly, we are graced with the unexpected attendance of an adorable, non-human creature. The day becomes a little bit better and brighter.
Who can hold back a grin or chuckle when a curious cat or nosy dog inserts itself into our virtual classes? The furry, sometimes scaly friends of our Zoom peers have given New School students and professors a reason to authentically smile in a virtual and disconnected world.
The New School Free Press spoke with New Schoolers and their beloved pets. Stay tuned for more pets…
Sofia’s Social Bitch
Sofia Donaldson, a first-year at Parsons studying strategic design and management, owns a fashionable pup named Gracie. Gracie, a Maltese Westie, is a true Parsons pup, as she arrived at the Zoom interview sporting a chic baby blue sweater. It’s still unclear to Donaldson what the proper protocol is when it comes to Gracie’s attendance in Zoom classes.
“I’m not sure if [professors] always appreciate that when they’re presenting, a random dog just jumps up onto my lap, because I know it’s definitely a bit of a distraction,” she said.
Gracie is greatly appreciated by her neighbors. “We always joke that she has like two families because [the neighbors] also love her so much. So she gets really excited to go to their house and they’ll take her for lots of walks.”
Clearly, Gracie is a social bitch. Donaldson also added that she keeps herself occupied by moving from “door to door” in their family home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to check in on her family members.
“When my parents are both at work and I’m on Zoom for school, and everyone’s doing our own Zoom for work, she’ll go door to door and check on everyone. She won’t always be with me. But if I’m home alone tonight, I have my classes to do. She definitely likes to jump up and she’ll try to get up on my desk.”
In times so uncertain and full of stress for college students, having a pet to spend time with and snuggle is a great emotional support. “Sometimes I have trouble sleeping. So, she sleeps with me. I definitely don’t get more sleep when she’s around,” said Donaldson. “She also has bad dreams and she snores, funnily enough. But it’s nice to have her with me in my room, especially when I’m sleeping because I just feel safer with her.”