Dog (and Cat) Days of Summer: Frank Shotwell

July 27, 2010

For most coaches and student-athletes, the summer is a bit of a reprieve from intense preparation and training that takes place during the school year. Thanks to that downtime, MGoBlue.com discovered that many coaches and student-athletes have other passions away from sports, most notably their pets.

Frank Shotwell - Men's Track and Field (Cat Rocko)

» How and why did you get your cat?
My family took a trip to our cousins' farm and they happened to have a litter of barn cats that were roaming around with the cows. There was this little tubby kitten that my mom fell in love with, so we decided to take it back home with us. We didn't tell our dad until we were almost home, in order to increase our chance of keeping him.

» What's the name of your cat and is there any meaning behind the name?
My siblings and I chose the name Rocko. At the time we were big fans of Rocko's Modern Life and continue to be to this day. Although our pet was not a Wallaby like Rocko in the TV show, we had our very own cat named Rocko at the family house.

» What are the best things about your cat? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
Rocko is a big ball of love. Weighing in at a solid 21 lbs, he makes a great foot rest or pillow. He maintains his cuddly weight by constantly eating cat food. One of my favorite things to do with Rocko is offer him pieces of bacon or chicken and watch him deny the offering, as he only eats cat food. Any time I want to watch him eat I'll just pick him up and put him by his cat bowl, some days I do this over and over for personal enjoyment.

» Who on your team is most like your cat and why?
Definitely Sean Pruitt, they both are big, fuzzy, and like to snuggle.

» What are the worst things about your cat? Any bad habits?
Rocko lets his weight affect his self esteem. Sometimes he eats so much that he'll throw up on the carpet. I'm not sure if it's because of an eating disorder or he simply doesn't know when to stop.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your cat?
About 4 years ago Rocko had a big tumor develop on his neck, little did we know the second time the tumor came around, Rocko would be diagnosed by the vet with skin cancer. One morning in high school Rocko jumped onto my bed to wake me up and the tumor had broke open, my dad pulled the remains off and covered his neck with duct tape until we could take him to the vet. He used up a few of his nine lives during his battle because my mom thought it was just a normal old age growth that cats get, little did we know the big guy was on the verge of losing his life. Rocko has beaten cancer twice and has been cancer free since 2006.

Marcia Pankratz - Field Hockey (Dog Manny)

» How and why did you get your dog?
I rescued him out of North Jersey and brought him to the beach in Los Angeles. He was the happiest dog ever in the history of the world. He was at a shelter when he was a puppy. The mom was at a shelter and they knew she would be giving birth. The mom was dachshund so when the puppies came out they weren't sure what they were. They were half dachshund and a little bit Chihuahua and a little bit of beagle. He's the best of all three.

» What's the name of your dog and is there any meaning behind the name?
His name is Manny Diego Pankratz. His name is Manny because his part Chihuahua so I was trying to keep his Hispanic roots and since I'm from Boston and that's when the Red Sox were doing well and Manny Ramirez and all that. But it's mostly because of his Hispanic roots. And Diego because that's my second home -- San Diego -- and it's also kind of Hispanic.

» What are the best things about your pet? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
He's first of all very sweet. In Los Angeles, everybody is kind of Hollywood-crazed so I'd be walking him at the beach and literally on a weekly basis people would stop me and ask, 'is your dog in the movies?' He has a very cute face. He's a calendar dog.

» What are the worst things about your pet? Any bad habits?
In a previous life he must have had a run-in with the postman because he likes to bark at the postman. That's about it.

» Could your pet play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
He's good. He's low to the ground because he has that dachshund, kind of funky body. He's very quick. He reminds me of all my quick players who are also really cute.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
We were driving from Maine, my summer home, back to Los Angeles and the beach. He was riding with me in the car and he started chewing on a toothbrush. Well, I wasn't paying attention and while I was driving he basically ate the toothbrush. Honest to God, it happened to be while we were in Ann Arbor when he got it stuck in his belly. We had to go to the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital and they cut him open like a fish and pulled that sucker out. Five years later he's going strong.


Manny working on his poses for Hollywood	Marcia proud of her pup

Tristin Llewellyn - Ice Hockey (Dog Dubloon)

» How and why did you get your dog?
I bought her from a breeder in Clare, Mich. My parents used to breed yellow labs and ever since I got to college I've wanted a yellow female dog of my own. I finally had enough money and picked her out of the litter.

» What's the name of your dog and is there any meaning behind the name?
Her full name is Dubloon, but everyone calls her blue for short. Dubloon is an old Spanish gold coin and since she had a yellowish tint to her I thought it would fit perfect to her.


Puppy Blue working with Tristin at U-M softball game	Blue makes an excellent hockey dog

» What are the best things about your pet? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
She is a huge lover and always wants to make sure people are happy. She is just special in the way that she is a part of my family.

» What are the worst things about your pet? Any bad habits?
The only problem with having her is dealing with the housing company and making sure she doesn't get too bored around the house while I'm gone.

» Could your pet play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
She plays hockey whenever we clear the swamp grass down in the back in the winter and loves to play defense during street hockey. I don't know who she would be on my team though.


Blue getting into a little bit of trouble	All grown up, Blue plays with her toy

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
Anytime my mom is gardening or when we shoveled snow off the driveway, Blue decides it's in her best interest to try and catch whatever is thrown in the air. When we toss the snow with the shovel she tries to catch it in mid air, while anytime a weed is thrown she will retrieve it for us and try to come help dig a hole right next to where it used to be.

Sarah Gribler - Rowing (Cat Twinky, aka Kitty)

» How and why did you get your cat?
My junior year I was living in a one bedroom apartment with no internet or TV. Being alone all the time wasn't very fun so I started looking at getting a pet. I knew because I wouldn't be able to be home all the time I couldn't give enough attention to a puppy. I always loved cats and haven't had one since I was little so I started looking for cats. I came across an adoption site and found a cat that her name, Twinky, first caught my eye. I went to the home she was at with her foster parents and fell in love and brought her home with me that night.

» What's the name of your cat and is there any meaning behind the name?
Her given name was Twinky but as time went on everyone calls her kitty. Even though her original name is Twinky she goes by Kitty.

» What are the best things about your cat? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
The best things about having Kitty is that she has never bitten or scratched a single person; she is one of the friendliest cats that I have ever known. She was especially crucial when I had my knee surgery over spring break. My entire team was in Tampa training, so she became my only companion during this time. She would lay with me every day all day until I was up and moving. She really is the best cat I have ever met and sometime is known as our team kitty.

» What are the worst things about your cat? Any bad habits?
The worst part of Kitty is that at night if you leave your feet out she will pounce on them and when she is hungry in the morning she will bat your face until she gets her food.

» Could your cat play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
I don't think Kitty could row, the one time I tried to give her a bath she didn't come from under my bed for three days. Maggie Cooper is the most like kitty. Maggie is a fellow cat lover and helped watch her last summer. They both tend to be a little spastic when you give them some treats, coffee for Cooper and cat nip for Kitty.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your cat?
Just recently Kitty escaped. She enjoys looking out the window and accidentally knocked out the screen, after a thirty-minute chase I got a hold of her and brought her back.

Maggie Cooper playing with Twinky

Kellen Russell - Wrestling (Dog Misty)

» How and why did you get your dog?
I got her off of Craigslist actually. I've always wanted my own dog so when my girlfriend told me about the Alaskan husky on Craigslist I couldn't say no.

» What's the name of your pet and is there any meaning behind the name?
Misty May. She is named after Misty May-Treanor, the winningest female player in beach volleyball.

» What are the best things about your dog? Does she have any special skills or attributes?
She just graduated puppy class with top honors and has just started her second session of classes. She is very good at high-fives and shaking. Most Mondays and Wednesdays you can find her running with the team around the soccer field; she is a very good runner.

» What are the worst things about your dog? Any bad habits?
Misty enjoys eating sandals and shoe laces. She has destroyed two pairs of sandals and one of my shoe laces.

» Could your pet play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
She's been known to wrestle around with dogs that are two to three times the size of her; so I think she could be a decent wrestler.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
My girlfriend was walking Misty down Packard one day, when a little dog came running out of a backyard. The dog's owner was chasing after it down the street. When the dog got close to Misty she threw it in a headlock and pinned the dog to the ground until the owner could come get the dog back.

Misty's a pretty attentive driver

Misty's first day at home

Troy Woolfolk - Football (Dog Julius)

» How and why did you get your dog?
I got my dog as a gift in my sophomore year. Initially I thought that my dog was a pure lab. Then time kept going by and he stopped growing. So I took him to the doctor and I found out that he was mixed with a beagle. So that's the story of why he's so small.

» What's the name of your dog and is there any meaning behind the name?
His full name is Julius Joseph Woolfolk. I was going to name my first son Julius but then my dog came so I decided to name him that, so he's like my son to me.

» What are the worst things about your pet? Any bad habits?
He does this one thing where if he sees anything nasty on the ground he likes to roll in it. I don't know why he does it. The other day he saw a dead bird and he started rolling around. And he loves to steal things. I think he's a kleptomaniac. The other day, I kid you not, I had my wallet on the ground; he literally opened up the wallet and took out the money and touched nothing else in there. He's just so bad.

» What are the best things about your pet? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
The best thing is that he's a very caring dog. Sometimes it gets annoying, but he loves to hug. If you lie down he'll jump on you and put his paws on your shoulders and try to hug you. He's cool. He eases me after a long day.

» Could your pet play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
This will be kind of offensive but it will be the truth. Yes, my dog could play football and I would have to say he would play inside slot. And the most closely related player I can compare him would be Martavious Odoms because they're both low to the ground, kind of shifty and kind of crazy when they run. Julius has good speed but he's not as fast as me. I run with him a lot. I have a lot random pictures of us running over at the dog park.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
The best worst story goes back to before he was potty trained. When I first got him we set him up in this cage that had no top to it. He just kept getting out of the cage and I couldn't understand how he got out of the cage. It was like three feet high or so. I left a video camera one day because he would never do when I was looking. I left and left the video camera there. So what we saw was that he put his paws in each crevice in the cage and climbed out. I wish I still had the video.

Also, there was some sort of senior dinner last year that I missed. Julius got sick and I had to take him to the doctor because my dog comes first. They had to understand that. That's my son.

Julius with sunglasses

Troy runs with Julius

Troy with Julius

Julius

Katie Adams, Field Hockey (Cat Chip)

» How and why did you get your cat?
I got my cat my senior year of high school. I was cat-less for almost two years before a few friends and I took a weekend camping trip. We were passing a barn and spotted a bunch of kittens. I couldn't resist and ended up just taking one and bringing it home with me.

» What's your cat's name and is there any meaning behind the name?
My cat's name is Chip. It is actually short for Chipotle, since that's all I would eat at the time. But I have plenty of nicknames. Everyone knows Chip as Masseur Chipsire. Not sure why, just rolls off the tongue.

» What are the best things about your cat? Does he have any special skills or attributes?
Chip doesn't really have many special skills, but he is very, very large. My mom doesn't like cat hair, so we kind of confine Chip to the basement of the house, where he doesn't get much exercise.

» What are the worst things about your cat? Any bad habits?
Chip is always out hunting in the back yard. Just yesterday I had to rescue this newborn bunny that he snatched from the nest.

» Could your cat play your sport? Who on your team is most like your cat and why?
Again Chip is not in the best of shape. I would have to say Chip most resembles Christi Barwick. They are both really nice.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
This does not involve Chip, but another kitten that I wanted as my own. Taking Chip from the barn was not the only time I took a kitten home from the wild. A couple cat-less summers ago I attempted to keep a wild kitten that I spotted crossing one of the country roads in Michigan. Later that night a few teammates made me call animal control to have it picked up because it was behaving strangely. (Former field hockey player Sarah Wilhite was inadvertently using a rabies infested bath towel for awhile).

Carol Hutchins, Head Softball Coach (Dog Marley)

» How and why did you get your dog?
I had Hooch for 15 years -- my first golden retriever. It's your best friend, your best pal. I've told several of my coaching colleagues that the best thing I ever did as a coach was get a dog because it always touches your compassionate side and your nurturing side. It's like anybody who has a family -- which I certainly have a family as well - but you always have your dog. I just love my dog.

» What's the name of your dog and is there any meaning behind the name?
Marley was named when I adopted him. He was five months old. A friend knew I was in the market for another dog after I had lost my dog. I lost Hooch 20 days after winning the national championship [in 2005], so I went from the high of highs to really low. It took about a year. A little over a year later I said I wanted a "used" dog. The thought of a puppy after having a 15 year old I didn't see how I could do that at that point in my career. It can be distracting. A friend called me and said I have a dog that's five months old and I thought well, that's still a puppy. Anyway, I called the owner and she said he's so laid back. I had a girl dog. I thought I'd get a girl light blonde. I ended up with a boy dark red. So I asked the owner, what's his name? And she replied 'Marley.' I read that book so I was like sorry, I'm not interested. She said he's really laid back like Bob Marley. So I went to meet Marley and he was the most laidback puppy. He was about 50 pounds when I met him. He was big then and he's 80 pounds now. He just lost five pounds, which I can't do. When I went to meet him they had a house full of dogs -- five big dogs. I thought he was going to be crazy. He came over and sat down under my chair and I said I'll take him. I really entertained changing his name, but he already knew his name, but I thought he already had an identity at that point and I didn't want to change it.


Marley	Marley

» What are the best things about your pet? Does it have any special skills or attributes?
The best thing about Marley is that he's my best buddy. My favorite thing to do in my free time is hang out with my dog -- take him to the beach at the lake, or just go home. I just like being at home with my dog. When I get home from a trip I can't wait to see my dog.

His special skills -- for a softball dog he's not very talented. He's really had to work at it. He'll retrieve, but he's kind of a clumsy fetcher. Hooch was such a good athlete. He's working at.

» Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
Amanda Chidester is my dog although she's a better softball player than my dog. [Associate head coach Bonnie Tholl chimes in that her dog, Jade, is a better athlete than Marley as well]. Chiddy wears her heart on her sleeve just like Marley. Everybody likes Chiddy, but I don't know if all my kids like Marley because some kids don't like dogs. I like kids who like dogs. She is just my dog and that's why I like her so much.

Jade

» What are the worst things about your pet? Any bad habits?
I'm one of those dog owners that think there aren't any. He begs, which is my fault. He's not very good with personal space. He thinks your space is his space. He'll walk over you. If he happens to be sleeping in the bed with you he just walks over your head. He doesn't bother to lift his feet. But he's very affectionate. He loves his people.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
The achievement thing would be when he ate BIC razors and survived at six months old. I had to personally find them all to make sure he was moving them all out or else we were going to have surgery. We did not want to have surgery on a six-month-old dog. That's really interesting. And I found all those razors. I can give you the details on that if you want. Dogs are nothing but mischief. That's the beauty of them. They're happy no matter what. They just see the good in everything. You never see a dog have a bad attitude. You never see them have a bad day. He does mope around a bit when I'm clearly leaving. They really give good lessons to people because they're really simple. They don't need much, they just need love and they give love unconditionally. And they get love unconditionally because I don't care how mad I get at that dog I love him. It's a good lesson to be reminded of with people sometimes.

Bryan Hogan, Junior Goaltender (Dog Cooper)

» How and why did you get your pet?
I got him because I wanted a nice dog, but he turned out to be the opposite.

» What's his name and is there any meaning behind it?
His name is Cooper, after the old hockey equipment company. He has lots of nicknames; his most infamous one is "cooper the pooper" or "Marley" because he chews on everything!

» Does it have any special skills or attributes?
Gee, I don't know. He is trained, but he has this thing for peeing on Chad Langlais' bed. It's really weird. He can walk on his hind legs for a long period of time, only for food though.


Cooper	Cooper

» What are the worst things about your pet? Any bad habits?
Everything. He's trained, like I said, but he does whatever he wants. He's exactly like Marley in the movie, "Marley and Me."

» Could your pet play your sport? Who on your team is most like your pet and why?
"He would play hockey for sure; he likes playing around with balls while I stick handle. I don't know who he's most like, probably Brandon Burlon, because he's not that quick mentally but always full of energy. Burlon doesn't chew though.

» What's your best story of achievement or mischief that involves your pet?
He's got this talent, for attracting girls. Every time he sees a girl he will like stop, stare and run. So weird, but probably the best trait I think he has! The worst thing he's done would have to be the time I left him out of his cage for just 30 minutes, and I came back and he literally destroyed everything! I was kind of impressed how a dog could do that.

University of Michigan Athletics

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