This week’s Pup, Close and Purrsonal comes from Aleah Shrigley, Regional Property Manager. She has a four-year-old dog, Gemma, and a three-year-old cat, Piper, that was rescued at a property in her portfolio when Aleah worked in North Central Florida.
A kitten had crawled into an underground pipe and may never have been found were it not for her loud cries which prompted the maintenance supervisor to say, “she’s really got a set of pipes on her.” The kitten was coaxed to safety and became Aleah’s who aptly named her, Piper.
Piper and Gemma are both protective of Aleah in different ways. When Aleah’s fiance is kidding around and talks loudly, Gemma barks at him until he quiets down. Piper wants to protect Aleah from job stress.
“Piper refuses to let me work unless I lock her out of my office,” Aleah says. “She doesn’t like me getting stressed!” At night, Gemma curls up in her own comforter that is beside Aleah’s bed and Piper sleeps at her feet.
The pets bring a great deal of joy to Aleah and her 19-year-old son, Zachary, and she says their unconditional love and support is one of the greatest rewards of being a pet parent.