Dogg Frank, Shiva And More: On Point Staff Shares Our Pets

If you're an astute Twitter user (or Facebook fan or even just a casual visitor to the On Point website), you might have noticed that our feed this morning more than a few cats and dogs.

You might have thought it was a cute stunt to promote our hour on the evolving legal landscape for cats and dogs, and maybe you're correct, but those pets were actually among the many members of the extended On Point radio family of animals. Their names and relevant personal info are available below.

We're not saying you should vote for any of the assembled parade of cuteness (like the incredible Bodega Cat Bracket at our sister station, WNYC), but we are saying: here they are. Appreciate them, in all their vaguely-humanistic semi-legal citizenship.

Frank is a new member of producer Kat Brewer's family, and he is an adorable Bernese Mountain puppy from a breeder in New York State. He will, however, grow to be very, very big. At the moment, he loves cuddling, food and sleeping and strongly dislikes rain and storms. His name is derived from a long list of semi-jokey D.C. related law and policy puns (Dodd-Frank, anyone) that Kat wrote herself. He goes by Frank for short.

Shiva is also a new member of the extended On Point family, having joined producer Nick Andersen's home back in December 2013. She is a Siamese mix, and was rescued from a shelter in eastern New York State. She enjoys eating and sitting in windows, and is not nearly as fat as she appears in this photo.  She is named after the Hindu god of destruction, and not the Hebrew period of mourning.

Ruby Dee, an eager and excited member of host Tom Ashbrook's greater family, is said to enjoy morning walks and chasing squirrels.

Sputnik is one of two sibling cats in producer Sam Gale Rosen's home. While sometimes a bit dense, Sputnik does enjoy playing with string and purring on laps. He and his sister, Splenda, come from a Jamaica Plain animal shelter.

Splenda (pictured here with her brother, Sputnik) is the more intellectual of producer Sam Gale Rosen's two cats. However, as this photo indicates, she is often challenged by her brother for the "most adorable Rosen cat" prize.

Charlie is one of producer Dean Russell's two cats. He was rescued from a Connecticut shelter, and is very photogenic, as this photo of him napping attests. He is also the more people-friendly feline in Dean's family.

Quincy was discovered by producer Dean Russell's girlfriend on Craigslist roughly six years ago, and as her stare suggests, she does not have time for any of your nonsense.

Phoenix, who lives with producer Stefano Kotsonis' family, gets his name from the fact that he "rose from the ashes" after having one of his back feet amputated at the shelter where he was rescued. He is very gentle, and enjoys catching mice and curling up next to his friends.

Gus, who lives back with intern Claire Lancaster's family down South, is a mischievous mutt of a dog who loves getting into trouble.

Ozzie, pictured here in mid 2012, was a part of producer Nick Andersen's family for more than 16 years. He passed away last summer after a brief and mostly painless illness, but he definitely knew how to give great side eye when it was needed.