Principal Investigators Association 2011 Pet Contest

Contest Shows PIs Love Their

Household Pets

Judging from the many entries that flooded in when Principal Investigators Association announced it was seeking nominees for "favorite household pets", many researchers obviously have a warm spot in their heart for their at-home critters. "Comfort", “cute", "loving", and even "moral support for grant-writing" were some of the words submitted with charming photos.

The majority of entries were dogs, with cats a close second. A few guinea pigs represented the third species seen. Unexpectedly, there were no nominations of gerbils, fish, snakes, spiders, iguanas, or other more exotic creatures. Many submissions were accompanied by touching stories of pet behavior and/or acquisition. Thank you to the hundreds of researchers who submitted their pet.