Meet FSD’s Facility Cats
Introducing Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug—The Fancy Felines of FSD
You’re probably familiar with our highly-skilled assistance dogs who have been custom-trained to perform life-changing tasks for people with disabilities. But did you know that Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) also has three facility cats with very important jobs of their own?
That’s right! Three incredible cats, Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug, all call the FSD facility their loving home—and their place of employment—with treats and belly rubs as payment for their work, of course!
While FSD staff and volunteers adore having a few extra furry friends around, the true reason we have facility cats may surprise you.
Why FSD Has Facility Cats
Assistance dogs must be confident, calm, and collected in every environment they encounter with their human partners. But in order to be successful working dogs, our FSD pups receive extensive training and socialization to ensure they remain focused around everyday distractions, such as other animals, food on the floor, and people attempting to get their attention.
Because cats are a common household pet, our service dog trainees must learn how to work safely around them in public spaces and co-exist with them in home settings. Having Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug at the facility allows FSD assistance dog instructors to intentionally teach dogs how to ignore cats and remain focused on their jobs.
That learning starts early and continues throughout a dog’s advanced training, helping set each pup up for long-term success.
Meet Calvin
The pride and joy of the FSD nursery, Calvin is a hypoallergenic Siberian cat with a very special job. He provides enrichment and socialization for our tiniest service dog candidates and our FSD mama dogs!
Calvin joined the nursery team at just 10-weeks-old, where he began forming positive associations with puppies and adult dogs in the nursery. Today, he offers companionship and enrichment for our mama dogs and plays a vital role in helping puppies ages 0-8 weeks become comfortable around cats and other non-canine species.
Even Calvin’s scent helps desensitize young pups to cats. As they grow, FSD puppies are allowed to interact and play with Calvin on his terms, which teaches them appropriate play behaviors. Calvin has full autonomy in the nursery. Cat doors are installed in the kennel pods, which allows him to come and go as he pleases.
“Cats are an excellent and safe way to expose our puppies to prey at an early age. He also helps our mama dogs continue to work on their prey drive, so they can set a good example for their pups,” FSD Nursery Health Coordinator Kaitlynn Vandyke added. “Prior to adding Calvin to our nursery program, we saw a higher level of prey drive in the dogs we were trying to place. Since adding him, that level has decreased!”
When he’s not spending time with the puppies and the mama dogs, Calvin enjoys his cat tree, water fountain, enrichment activities, toys, and plenty of snuggles from FSD nursery staff and volunteers.
Meet Cricket
Cricket resides in our facility training space and is a Siberian Forest Cat. Her breed was selected for its friendly, social nature and lower levels of the Fel d 1 protein, which is the most common allergen for people sensitive to cats.
Cricket is social, playful, and easygoing. She enjoys spending time with FSD staff and volunteers, as well as our puppies and dogs, and her best kitty friend, Ladybug. When she’s not helping socialize our dogs in training, she can be found curled up in a warm lap, playing with toys, scratching her post, or keeping an eye on the fish tank.
Meet Ladybug
Ladybug also lives in the facility training space alongside her best friend, Cricket. Like Cricket, she is a Siberian Forest Cat selected for her low-allergen coat and friendly demeanor.
Ladybug is mellow, independent, and delightfully fancy. She tends to keep to herself and remains calm and unbothered around dogs of all energy levels, which is ideal for her assistance in training our service dog candidates. When she’s not working, Ladybug enjoys cuddling with her human friends and Cricket, lounging in warm blankets, and playing with teaser wands.
How Our Cats Support Service Dog Training
To help set service dog candidates up for success, we introduce them to cats at just a few weeks old. As young puppies, they first meet FSD nursery cat, Calvin. Early positive exposure to Calvin helps establish a foundation of neutrality around cats and other small animals and pets they may encounter.
As older puppies come to the FSD facility for training classes and when they return for advanced training as adult dogs, they continue practicing appropriate behavior around our other two facility cats, Cricket and Ladybug. During the formal training process, FSD assistance dog instructors carefully assess how each dog responds to the cats.
Because we only place dogs who meet our incredibly high standards of health and behavior, dogs who show high levels of distraction around Cricket and Ladybug may not be best suited for service dog work. Those dogs may instead be placed purposefully as skilled companion dogs, where they continue to make a meaningful impact as loving companions.
FSD Assistance Dog Instructor Emilie Burlingame shared:
“While it may seem contradictory, and even risky, to keep cats in a service dog school, the cats and dogs are all kept very safe. They are necessary for training service dogs who are safe in public.
Because of our selective and diligent purpose-breeding program, as well as the early exposure our dogs have to Calvin in the nursery, we haven’t had a dog with predatory aggression towards cats. Dogs who show interest in them are usually just overly curious or excited. Having the cats at our facility has been game changing in our assistance dog training program.”
Keeping Up With The Cats
At FSD, we take great pride in the high level of care we provide all our animals, including our facility cats. Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug enjoy a comfortable environment with autonomy to roam, stimulating toys and scratching pots, sunny nap spots, nutritious food, tasty treats, and plenty of affection from staff and volunteers. They also receive the highest quality veterinary care and regular professional groomings to keep their coats soft and clean.
Burlingame adds, “The cats are basically royalty, even if they have to ‘work’ a little every once in a while. They pretty much go wherever and do whatever they want whenever they want. They have tons of toys, scratching posts, and climbing places. Heck, there’s even a fish tank for them to watch if they want!”
Enrichment and play are also essential to keeping our cats healthy and happy. Enrichment activities and training exercises are implemented into the cats’ daily routines. The cats have been trained to perform certain cues, such as coming when called, remaining on elevated surfaces so our assistance dog instructors can manage distance during sessions, and moving back and forth to entice our dogs. Not only is training our cats helpful in preparing our assistance dogs for their important jobs, but it also provides them with important mental and physical stimulation. For their efforts, the cats are always rewarded with treats and lots of love.
When the cats participate in dog training sessions or puppy playtime, they always have the choice to engage or walk away on their own accord. Safety measures and deep cleaning the cats’ spaces are carefully implemented to protect both the cats and the dogs, as well.
When the FSD facility closes for holidays or the cats simply need a break, Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug enjoy a holiday of their own and go home with loving volunteers who care for and spoil them until they return to work.
Together, Calvin, Cricket, and Ladybug make a lasting impact as they play a vital role in helping our dogs on their journeys to becoming life-changing assistance animals. By helping foster neutrality around cats, exposing our dogs to other species, and helping build focus amongst enticing distractions, these fancy felines are more than just beloved members of the FSD family—they’re an essential part of our mission!
You can support FSD and the care of all our animals by giving a gift of any amount HERE!
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Published 02/03/2026
Contact Erin Conley at econley@