Charles Schulz once said, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” And Mr. Schulz should know, after all, as he created the Peanuts comic strip and much beloved beagle, Snoopy! Far and wide, if you ask Cisconians who some of their best friends are in life — many will respond with a four legged fur ball that sleeps quietly at their feet while they work.
They’re the faces that become familiar to us on WebEx calls, sometimes get to visit our offices, and whose adventures always seem plentiful. They keep us smiling, help lower stress levels, listen to us as we bounce ideas off them throughout the day, and keep us active — because who doesn’t love a good walk around the block?!
To honor #NationalDogDay this year, we decided it was time to introduce you to some of our favorite #DogsOfCisco on Instagram!
Follow Hippo on Instagram: @hippo_thebully
Hippo’s Cisconian: Drew McInnis, TS Business Analyst – GES
What Made You Want to Start an Instagram for your Dog?: Originally I wanted to have a place to post her pictures without annoying my friends from my personal Instagram. Now I’m just having fun trying to see how far I can grow her page!
What’s been the best thing about having your dog on Instagram?: Being able to interact with people around the world who just love dogs! It hasn’t really occurred to me before how universal a dogs smile is or how you can easily communicate across languages by using emojis.
What’s the best thing about being a part of the #DogsOfCisco on Instagram / Why do you #LoveWhereYouWork?: I love Cisco because there is such a focus on work/life balance. I mean how many companies take into consideration their employee’s pets and implement Bring Your Dog to Work day and even have blog posts about the #DogsOfCisco?!
Do you have a great Cisco memory or story with your pup? At one of my off-sites my team made me bring Hippo to dinner so she could meet everyone in person! They all follow her on Instagram and always ask to see her on WebEx. She’s absolutely a member of our team.
What’s a fun fact about your pup?: She snores so loud it has woken me up before!
Follow Tango on Instagram: @ilovetotango (He also shares with his sister, Slate)
Tango’s Cisconian: Nenuca Syquia, HR Consultant
What Made You Want to Start an Instagram for your Dog?: Tango is so quirky, and the world deserves to see that cuteness, especially on a hard day. He is also a testament to what a loving home can do; he came to us from a shelter in Mexico, already sweet but so thin and nervous. He has come a long way from that little street dog! Slate makes cameos on his IG only because she is adorably lazy (so much so that we call her “Slazy” and Tango is called ‘Crazy’!)
What’s the best thing about being a part of the #DogsOfCisco on Instagram / Why do you #LoveWhereYouWork?: Seeing other happy dogs with their very happy owners (and office-mates).
Do you have a great Cisco memory or story with your pup? Tango came to one of our training sessions on design thinking, and he became our mascot for the two days. Slate came to the second version of the workshop, months later. So, they are both trained in design thinking and how HR is using it to change the game for our leaders and employees! They’re both true Cisconians at heart!
What’s a fun fact about your pup?: Even though Tango could run a marathon a day, and Slate would sleep 24 hours a day if she could, these two are best of buddies! They often sleep together, and when they don’t, they greet each other with kisses in the ear – no fail.
Follow Kimbee on Instagram: @KimbeeTheGSP
Kimbee’s Cisconian: Casie Shimansky, Social Media Manager, Talent Brand
What Made You Want to Start an Instagram for your Dog?: Being a photographer and longtime Instagram Lover — I knew I was about to inundate IG with photos of Kimbee’s face the second we got her. It only seemed right to give her a space all her own for our adventures which include Saturday Agility classes and “Pupcations” we take every year with her.
What’s been the best thing about having your dog on Instagram?: I love how people respond to her and how happy she makes others. We’ve been told quite a bit that people will seek her posts out when they need a smile or just to see what she’s been up to.
What’s the best thing about being a part of the #DogsOfCisco on Instagram / Why do you #LoveWhereYouWork?: I love that Cisco recognizes that, for many of us, our lives include furry counterparts. On a day she wasn’t feeling well, my manager even moved a 1:1 that we had scheduled so I could run her up to the vet in the only time they had available for us. It’s a pretty awesome thing to be working for a company that understands Kimbee is more than just a dog to us, she’s our family.
Do you have a great Cisco memory or story with your pup? I was on a WebEx call for Girls Power Tech just after we got Kimbee with a group in Boston. Back then…any time I spoke, Kimbee thought it was absolutely necessary to chime in too. Once that happened, I had to explain to the girls what was going on in the background and that I was throwing raspberries over to Kimbee to keep her quiet. At the end of the presentation, one of the questions from the girls was, “Can we see Kimbee?” She was instantly the most popular part of the presentation. I really am just this pup’s sidekick.
What’s a fun fact about your pup?: We found Kimbee thanks to the power of social media! We struggled to find German Shorthaired Pointers in our area through rescues — so, I reached out to a friend who I had been following on IG for years that had rescued GSPs before. She pointed out that many folks try to rehome their GSPs through GSP Facebook Groups — and a few weeks later, Kimbee’s face popped up.
Follow Lumi and Bowser on Instagram: @Ilovelumi and @bowserslife
Lumi and Bowsers’s Cisconian: Ray Leung, Talent Brand Manager
What Made You Want to Start and Instagram for your Dog?: Because everybody loves dogs! My girlfriend and I created their Instagram accounts with the goal of documenting their livelihood by sharing their experiences and candid moments for people to see. I’ve only recently become a dog owner but I’ve come to learn that they each have their own unique characteristics and personality traits and it’s fun to humanize that in a way and share that with the world.
What’s been the best thing about having your dog on Instagram?: I love capturing photos of my dogs in adorable, funny, or even awkward position.
What’s the best thing about being a part of the #DogsOfCisco on Instagram / Why do you #LoveWhereYouWork? It’s great that my dogs are also part of the#WeAreCisco family.
When meeting new people or just casual conversation around the office, I find that a majority of people either have some interest or just absolutely love dogs. Dog owners all have a connection of sorts with one another, and non-dog owners still love to part of the conversation and ask tons of questions. It’s always a great #lovewhereyouwork moment when you’re able to share the joys in your personal life with the people you interact and work with on a daily basis.
What’s a fun fact about your pups?
Bowser = Bit territorial and cranky to other dogs that he doesn’t know. But very friendly to those in his inner circle. Lots bark, but no bite (he’ll bark til you walk a little closer and then he’ll cower away).
Lumi – Means snow in Finish. Which perfectly describes her white look. Another fun fact, we brought her to corgi con when she was a pup and convinced every other corgi owner (and probably Lumi as well) that she was an albino corgi. She’s even mastered the sploot. When we take her to the dog park, she almost always gravitates to other corgis to play.
Follow Emery on Instagram: @DashTheCorgi
Emery’s Cisconian: Richie Chea, Business Systems Analyst
What Made You Want to Start an Instagram for your Dog?: My girlfriend and I wanted to create a photo album of our dog so we could see him grow up. Somehow, he got really popular and it turned into a way for us to share Emery with the world.
What’s been the best thing about having your dog on Instagram?: The ability to share his photos and mischief with the world. I was amazed the number of positive comments and messages we received about how Emery cheered and brightened up people’s days.
What’s the best thing about being a part of the #DogsOfCisco on Instagram / Why do you #LoveWhereYouWork? It is cool how we can show the work-life balance and how you can still have a dog while having a busy work life. It is crazy how much Emery cheers me up and I am excited to share that with not only Cisco, but the world.
Do you have a great Cisco memory or story with your pup? I brought Emery in to Cisco when he was about two months old and everyone went crazy. The best memory of that day was when I let him out of his crate and he wasn’t shy but wild. He ran to everyone and wouldn’t stop shaking his little stump tail.
What’s a fun fact about your pup? Emery’s currently on a strict diet and exercise due to his recent weight gain.
Is your dog living the Cisco Life too? Be sure to share a photo on social and tag #WeAreCisco #DogsOfCisco so we can keep that cute puppy fix going all year long. We hope your pups get lots of treats and belly scratches this National Dog Day! 🐶
Think working at Cisco sounds “pawfect”? Apply here ➡ We’re hiring!
No, no, no … the internet is for cat-content, not dog-content!!! 😉 Ok, I must confess a cat on the lap doesn’t really help when working, and a dog is certainly helpful to get more movement at a break where the cat looks angry if you only move slightly … But still: The next “Life at Cisco”post should be about the #CatsOfCisco. 🙂
HAHAHA…I love that this is a thing! I’ll be sure to tag my pooch in upcoming posts!
Hippo is so excited! This is fantastic and all of the Cisco pups are great! Yet another reason to #LoveWhereYouWork