National Pet Day 2019

Meet Addie Posey, canine companion to BRAVO! CLUB vice president Xanadu Bruggers. She can snore to the tune of the Habanera song, and like any great singer before her, she likes to warm up her voice in the bath — the acoustics there are sublime!

Next up are two pets who are reportedly thick as thieves: Sadie the yellow lab and Tico the cat. This adorable duo like to stir up trouble for Eric Rubio, San Francisco Opera’s chief information officer. They’re keeping you sharp for the drama of the opera house, Eric!

Assistant Box Office Manager Jessica Fauver would like to introduce you to two of the freeloaders who have captured her heart. The first is Gaiwan, her three-year-old beta fish. This little guy makes bubble nests in his free time, and he also loves to flare up and intimidate anyone who dares approach his fish bowl.

Jessica’s 13-year-old cat Teapot also loves to flare up whenever someone gets too close to the fish bowl. It’s not that Teapot is a fan of Gaiwan. On the contrary! She can’t understand why anyone would pay him the least bit of attention.

Our director of human resources Sarah DeCuir has two loving fur babies, the first being Wonton here. This 12-year-old long-haired dachshund is posing fresh from the bath for this photo. Normally, she’s a total lap dog, snuggling and sleeping the whole day through.

Then there’s Sarah’s second fur baby, Roxie. She’s a seven-month-old husky-Australian Cattle Dog mix, and boy, is she the opposite of Wonton! Rather than sleeping all day, Roxie is much more likely to be bouncing around the dog park or chilling in the backyard, enjoying the birds.

Next, allow us to present to you Jonesy, resident cat to Charles McGraw, our customer service representative. When she’s not napping, Jonesy likes to interrupt Mr. McGraw’s piano playing with loud demands for petting. His lap is her dominion, as far as she’s concerned.

Sascha Alexander Bourbon is the name, and retail manager Jay Stebley is his human representative here at the Opera. This pom-chi’s favorite opera is The Cunning Little Vixen and, yes, he does indeed love whisky.

David Odenkirchen, our director of philanthropy and audiences operations, tasked his 11-year-old daughter with introducing their pet Walter. She did an amazing job, writing that Walter “enjoys getting dressed up and sleeping. He makes sure that the house is safe from skateboarders.”

Just like their owner, senior communications manager Jeff McMillan, these cats are well-versed in all things opera. Simian, the brown cat, is a big fan of Henze’s Der Junge Lord, whose title character turns out to be an ape. Meanwhile, the black cat Solomon prefers Goldmark’s opera Die Königin von Saba.

Human resources generalist Heidi Arcilla submitted this incredibly rare shot of her dog Baxter, an Australian Cattle Dog-Border Collie mix, and the cat she looks after, Arya. It may come as no surprise that Arya hates Baxter, so the fact that they’re napping together is nothing short of miraculous.

Next up is Jinksy, a five-year-old fluff monster recently adopted from the SPCA! So far, he and the Box Office’s Jenny Pollack are bonding over hobbies like grooming his glorious toe fur. Jinksy’s also an aspiring singer — though he has a long way to go if he hopes to make his San Francisco Opera debut.

Development associate Michael Hoke would like to present his dapper cat, Piper! Though you can’t tell from this photo, Piper is sporting a smart red bowtie, perfect for a night out at the opera!

Wilma the Chiweenie is the official support dog of orchestra manager Tracy Davis and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. She’s often patrolling the Opera House, putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Keep up the good work, Wilma!

Web and email manager Amy Humke presents her Lab-Border Collie mix Riker, who loves watching Star Trek, never leaves a tennis ball alone, and suffers from a bad case of FOMO.

And last but not least, we have the three cats of principal giving associate Barbara Lundy. First up is Nala the Wise, an alpha cat who’s fearless and contemplative, as well as a champion groomer of others.

Next is Ann Wilson, the sweetest Type-A cat you could ever imagine. She’s a court jester, and she’s in the 3 ½ octave range, if you know of any roles opening up.

And finally, there’s Nancy Wilson, the expert napper of the bunch. Alas, she has an unfortunate dislike of classical music and is known to bite if you practice near her. But that’s okay. It’s impossible to stay mad at a face that cute!