Tag: cats

Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Sports

Climbing Companions

Written by Addison Middleton

Emily Pinson, an avid climber, takes her cat Suki bouldering with her. She adopted her cat from the Humane Society with the intent of training her to climb.

While breathing in the crisp air of the outdoors, Emily Pinson makes sure to grab her climbing shoes, hand chalk and crash pads before she and Suki, her loyal climbing partner, head out into the woods together. Pinson swings her bags over her shoulder, and tosses her companion up in the air to sit perched atop of the supplies because although Suki is an avid adventurer, she is also a cat. 

Pinson’s love for the outdoors and the activity of bouldering began years ago. This subset of rock climbing has allowed her to build a community through the shared love of the sport. She began her climbing career in highschool at indoor climbing gyms, and decided to venture further by starting to climb at outside destinations a little over a year ago. 

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Family, Health, Love, Uncategorized

McKamey Trailblazers

Written by Ali Lemmons

After walking around campus, Becky Grose scratches Blue’s ears. Blue was a shelter dog at the time of this photo. Grose introduced him to many other students on campus. Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo by Ali Lemmons).

Becky Grose, a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, did not know her day would be filled with walks, car rides, and belly rubs—that is, until she found herself checking out a dog named Blue at the McKamey Animal Center.

Blue is just one of more than 100 dogs at the McKamey Animal Center patiently waiting for their forever home. The shelter is so overcrowded that they are currently operating over their maximum capacity, according to the center’s website.

While they wait, dogs can quickly become stressed and overwhelmed in the crowded shelters. Luckily, the staff at McKamey provide a great solution—the Trailblazer program.

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