What is a StetPet? Your Animal Editorial Assistant Questions Answered
By Jill Walters, Northwest Editors Guild Social Media Coordinator
Every Wednesday on the Northwest Editors Guild’s social media pages, you’ll find a dog with a goofy grin or a cat conveniently sitting on a keyboard. They aren’t editors, per se, but they are the trusty animal “assistants” to editors from all over the world. Some remind their editors to take a break while others physically impede any actual work getting done by sitting in strategic locations.
They are our StetPets, and we’ve been featuring them consistently since the summer of 2017 on the Guild’s Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages. Virtual fame and ear scratches from the greater editorial community are included.
The #StetPet hashtag has many editor and writer fans, but we often get questions from people who just discovered StetPets. Here are some of the most common StetPet queries answered for you and your animal assistants.
Arlo acts as official “Chief Morale Officer” for Minnesota editor Erin Servais.
As a Very Good Boy, he got a new stuffed toy for his birthday. Photos courtesy of Erin Servais.
What is a StetPet?
A StetPet is an animal editorial or writing assistant who “helps” you with your work.
What’s the purpose of StetPet?
StetPet was created as a way to give busy editors a midweek smile and to show that editors aren’t the soulless pedantic prose-destroyers that we’re sometimes portrayed as. And, seriously, who doesn’t enjoy a cute kitty or puppy photo?
Princess Rumblestrut and Coconut work hard as StetPets and professional “turd extruders” alongside British Columbia editor Iva Cheung. Photo courtesy of Iva Cheung.
What types of animals can be StetPets?
Most StetPets are dogs or cats, but a StetPet can be just about any living creature, domesticated or wild. We’ve featured guinea pigs, bunnies, birds, lizards, fish, squirrels, deer, raccoons, spiders, and even a blue lobster. Wild StetPets are labeled as such, as we don’t encourage you to bring a deer or raccoon into your office area for a photo.
We have on rare occasions also featured stuffed animals, tiny plastic dinosaurs, and houseplants that act as editorial assistants.
Does a StetPet have to be my personal pet?
Not necessarily. We often feature temporary StetPets (pet-sitting clients or the pets of friends or family), neighbor StetPets, and, as mentioned above, StetPets can be wild animals.
Thea is a longtime StetPet and senior pup assistant of Alberta editor and Editors Canada President Heather Buzila. Here Thea is celebrating her 16th birthday! Photo courtesy of Heather Buzila.
Do I have to be a Guild member to submit a StetPet?
No, StetPets can be from any editor anywhere in the world. We have many StetPets from Canada and the UK, as well as the occasional assistants checking in from Australia, Central America, and Europe.
Can my buddy be a StetPet more than once?
Yes! We have many regular StetPets who we check in with from time to time. However, in order to spread the love we try to wait at least a few months before revisiting a StetPet or their editor (if they have multiple StetPets).
Cheddar (in chair) and Brie (under desk) frequently “help” Seattle Guild member Ariel Anderson while editing by keeping her chair warm and keeping Ruger the dog (not pictured) in the other room. Photo courtesy of Ariel Anderson.
What if my StetPet doesn’t actually “help” me work?
Every StetPet works in their own unique way and sometimes their version of “helping” involves gnawing on pens, sitting on keyboards, snoozing on reference books, or staring intensely to alert that it’s time for food or play. We welcome them all.
Is there ever more than one StetPet per week?
We occasionally share bonus StetPets on days other than Wednesday—especially if it’s been a tough week or if a StetPet or their editor have something important and timely to share. In the early days of the Covid pandemic, there were two or three StetPets per week for a while because, frankly, we all needed them, as well as a StetPet Blog Post that featured work-from-home friends.
Can I submit a StetPet memorial?
We are always happy to give bonus virtual ear scratches in memory of your trusty assistants who have recently “crossed the rainbow bridge.”
Does #StetPet have anything to do with #StetWalk?
The #StetPet and #StetWalk hashtags are separate things but coexist well together as many canine StetPets keep a regular StetWalk schedule. The #StetPet hashtag actually started in the summer of 2017, nearly two years before editor Tanya Gold created #StetWalk. We always appreciate photos of your StetPets accompanying you on a StetWalk!
Marais, assistant of Seattle Guild member Pm Weizenbaum, became the first StetPet in the summer of 2017 when she was staying with another editor while Pm was out of town. Photo courtesy of Jill Walters.
Marais the poodle is still a trusty StetPet to this day.
You can always search for the #StetPet hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn when you want to appreciate more animal helpers. And if StetPet is the highlight of your week, you can also set a notification for your favorite platform to notify you whenever there’s a new public post with the hashtag.
How do I submit my friend to be a StetPet?
The best way to submit a StetPet is by email. Along with a photo or two, be sure to include your StetPet’s name; a short, one-sentence description of how they “help” you work; and your personal social media links so we can tag you when security settings allow.
You can also tag a photo of your friend on Twitter with #StetPet—along with their name and a short description, although note that we can’t see posts from locked accounts. Likewise, we can’t usually see posts with the #StetPet hashtag on Facebook or LinkedIn due to security settings, but you can always comment on a weekly StetPet post to introduce us to your friend.
If you ever need a refresher on how to submit your StetPet, you can always visit the StetPet page on the Guild’s website.
