Lab Mascots

Jojo Grunewald is a 6-year old Russian Blue that was adopted by Will Grunewald in July 2022. Jojo helps Will manage the stressors of graduate school and is an expert in mid-day naps and self-care. He also is a fan of all things food, catnip, and attention. In the future, Jojo plans to pursue further training in begging and persuasion to fund his passion for snacks and toys.

Louis Clancy is 1-year old Cockapoo whose research interests include trying to understand how to open the treat jar himself and ways to increase the number of pedestrians that stop to give him attention. He is passionate about cuddles and whipped cream. When Louis is not hard at work on his "dog"torate, he enjoys falling asleep to Taylor Swift music and chasing falling leaves outside.

Lila Perkins (will also respond to "Demon", "Boop", "Bebebe", "Wiwa", and pretty much anything else) is a 3-year old hound mix and thera"paw"st. She has no formal training in therapy and got this role based solely on her adorable appearance. When she’s not stressing her mom out with her many chronic health issues, she likes to chew on toys, sleep, take walks, and protect her mom from squirrels, rabbits, and Men On Bikes.

Suki (left) and Yumi (right) Kinkel-Ram are 1.5-year old Siamese cats adopted in the Summer of 2021. They serve as REDS Lab expert "cat"sultants and are co-authors on Shruti's writing projects. Their interests include sitting on their mother's laptop when it gets overheated from running R code, cuddling on their heated blanket, and creating elaborate plans to reach the birds outside the window.

Nala Smith-Kuntsman is a 3-year-old cat adopted from the Cat Cafe in Cincinnati. She loves cuddling, getting locked in closets, and warming up under the tree. She tolerates getting chased by her short owners (aka the kids) and looks forward to them learning to pet properly.

Trixie Stanley is a 2-year-old (Scorpio) lab mix adopted through the Atlanta Lab Rescue. Trixie enjoys playing fetch, any opportunity to receive food, and like her human mom, greeting every dog that crosses her path. Trixie is working on her "dog"torate by conducting independent research on mechanisms for maximizing the frequency of receiving rewards (treats).

Norbert Andrade-Frietchen is a 1.5-year-old cat adopted through Providence Animal Rescue League. Norbert loves chasing mice toys, eating tuna flakes, flopping to get belly rubs (on his terms), singing when he wants a door opened, and cuddling on blankets or chairs. He also co-authors all of Rachel’s posters and papers and enhances Rachel’s mood every day. At Auburn, Norbert is excited to continue studies on the optimal biscuit-making technique.

Cooper Miller an 8-month old Golden Retriever from Beauregard, AL. He loves peanut butter, long walks, and chewing on his bone. Though early in his training, Cooper hopes to one day earn his dog-torate and use his professional training to help others like his idol Scooby-Doo. In the meantime, he'll continue supporting his mom through her graduate training and work on mastering skills (he is currently working on "stay").

Ruth Pictor is a 2-year-old cat adopted during Lauren's senior year spring break, so her first exposure to the world was a 12-hour car drive from Florida to Indiana. Ruth is a sassy kitty who enjoys having the bongos played on her belly, photoshoots, her bee-on-a-stick toy, and supporting Lauren after long days of graduate school. Follow Ruth on Instagram @ruth_bader_whisker for more pictures!

Reigen Andrade-Frietchen is a four-year-old master biscuit maker. He is overseeing Norbert’s education from a distance while he holds down the fort in Massachusetts. When he is not supervising Norbert, he enjoys waking people up at 4am for food, making biscuits in his bed, sitting on the top step of the stairs, playing with string, and cuddling. Reigen makes his humans laugh every day and, along with Norbert, provides Rachel the dopamine needed to navigate the demands of graduate school.