PETS

COCO & CICI

We are two Maltese sisters living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

WE ARE BOTH registered therapy dogs working weekly at Phoenix Children’s Hospital with our human mom, Katee, and in 2020 we received GMA’s Pet of the Week Award for our outstanding work. Our human sister, Jessie, runs all of our social media accounts, which is where Coco has become very popular for her “paws up” pose. Online or in person, we have a goal to spread love, joy and happiness to all. Coco has a plushie for sale, where all proceeds are donated to Phoenix Children’s Pet Therapy Program.

What does it mean to be an innovator to you?

We are using our platform to bring awareness and donations to the Animal Assisted Therapy program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The amount of gratitude from the children and their families is amazing. These kids spend days, weeks or even months in the hospital. We are a little vacation from their normal day. The kids light up the second they see us and they can’t wait for us to get in their beds and love on them. •

www.cocothemaltesedog.com, @cocothemaltesedog

COCO & CICI’S PICKS

WHO AND WHAT INSPIRES THEM

SCOTT HUBBARD Content Creator With 7.8 million TikTok followers, Arizona-based digital creator Scott Hubbard’s cute chihuahua, Gracie, is the star of the show in their humor-filled posts that are well worth the double tap. @scottyhubs

SIR WESFORD & BRADFORD Pet Influencers Follow along as Scottsdale’s adorable corgi brothers, Wesly and Brady, travel and explore the world together with their “corgmom.” @weslythecorgi

RUNBUDDY MOBILE Since 2017, the K9-certified fitness coaches at RunBuddy Mobile have been training pooches in the convenience of their homes with a 30-minute fitness session that uses specifically created non-motorized dog treadmills in a safe and climate-controlled fitness unit. Owner David Lopez has been rehabilitating and training shelter dogs for over 20 years using a proprietary combination of exercise and mental stimulation to successfully burn off energy, build confidence and melt away anxiety (and weight!) in a variety of dog breeds and personalities. A portion of all proceeds benefit local shelters and rescues. www.runbuddy.com, @runbuddymobile WHITNEY CHEWSTON Whitney Chewston is a 5-year-old miniature dachshund who is full of sass and love. She was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, but recently moved to Scottsdale with her dads, Ben and Logan. Whitney has been on Instagram (@whitney_chewston) since 2016, but recently gained popularity after becoming a now infamous internet meme (Google “the homophobic dog” meme.) While Whitney is far from homophobic, she’s used the attention to bring awareness to LGBTQI+ causes. Whitney and her family love living in Arizona and can’t wait for many desert adventures to come! www.whitneychewston.com

PHOENIX CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Phoenix Children’s is one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, named the #1 children’s hospital in Arizona by U.S. News & World Report for 2022–2023. It comprises Phoenix Children’s Hospital— Thomas Campus, four pediatric specialty and urgent care centers, 12 community pediatric practices, 20 outpatient clinics, two ambulatory surgery centers and seven community-service-related outpatient clinics throughout the state of Arizona. The system has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families for nearly 40 years. Phoenix Children’s Care Network includes more than 1,175 pediatric primary care providers and specialists who deliver care across more than 75 subspecialties. www.phoenixchildrens.org