Kaiser Family Foundation showcases staff pets on Twitter

Healthcare policy is going to the dogs—and cats. The furry friends behind the researchers and journalists at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Kaiser Health News are the stars of Twitter accounts @KFFDogs and @KFFCats. Though there’s no official count, at least 20 employees have shared their pets helping report the news, manage documents and join meetings.

Rakesh Singh, KFF vice president of communications, started the 
@KFFDogs account in 2017 to share the fun moments that arose as staffers worked alongside their dogs. The pups started coming to the foundation’s California HQ in the early 2000s and joined the D.C. office in 2012.

“We do serious work on issues of vital importance to people, but we also like to have fun while we do it,” Singh said. “The account was a nice way of conveying to the world that behind all the analysis, polling and journalism are people who enjoy four-legged friends.”

One KFF pup named Kuma even went viral when the popular Twitter account darth responded to a tweet with photos of an enthusiastic shiba inu standing on a desk during a meeting.

But dogs aren’t the only social media stars. @KFFCats (also called Kaiser Health Mews) has gained several hundred followers since a staffer began sharing photos of Cricket and Carmen, 12-week-old sisters.

“There were a few colleagues who thought we were barking up the wrong tree when we launched these, but now the accounts and the animals who star on them are widely viewed as one of the fun perks of working at KFF,” Singh said.