Meet the Campus Dogs

By Maram Sharif ’22

If the approach of spring wasn’t enough to get you in the right mood, we’ve got an article that’ll do the thing. Pets are awesome, and we all agree! With new furry friends on campus, we’d like to introduce you to them and refresh your memory with some of the older faces. We interviewed some of our faculty members to tell us all about these special dogs.

First up we have Mrs. Southworth, who is a new face on campus— she works in the Communications and Marketing Department and lives in Gunn Dorm. She has two Shiba Inu dogs. The older, Henley, is on campus, but Eve is expected to arrive in June and we cannot wait to welcome her with some treats and open arms. Here’s what you need to know about these lovely companions.

Henley (light brown/red) is 12 years old. The Southworths adopted him from Rodel Shibas in Pennsylvania when he was ten weeks old. He has an underbite, so it looks like he’s smiling or growling depending on how you see it. He was given the name Brutus when he was born, so sometimes they call him Henley Brutus. When meeting Henley: He can be a bit aloof and shy— when he is out walking he might like pets, but please do not disturb him when he’s napping, he can be a grumpy old man! 

Eve (black & tan) is 8 years old. She was rescued from DC Shiba Inu Rescue when she was five months old. She has very expressive eyebrows, loves belly scratches, and sleeps in crazy, upside down positions. It is worth mentioning that she snores. When meeting Eve, she loves people and will run to greet you, she likes to sniff you first and then maybe get some chin scratches.

Ms. Abelson tells us all about Harry: “Harry is a 2-year-old springer spaniel mix rescue. During quarantine in 2020, we were looking for a second dog and found Harry close by at the Animal Welfare Society in New Milford. Harry was his name online and we loved it so much we decided to keep it. Harry likes snoozing in the sun, chasing tennis balls, and hanging out with his best friends, Sid and Gigi Gritti. His favorite snacks are watermelon, peanut butter, apples, and any pizza crust he can get his paws on. Harry likes to hoard shoes, and will at various points in the day move our shoes all over the house. Harry is a bit shy at first when you meet him but after a few sniffs, he will be your best friend. He is a sweet pup and loves doing dorm duty, checking in on the boys in Bourne.”

Ms. Rimany’s Bay is a true gem. Here’s what you need to know about her:

“Bailey (we call her Bay) is a treeing feist, which is a type of dog that was used to hunt squirrels, raccoons, possums, and rabbits by chasing the animals up a tree. She is almost ten years old, but she has only lived on campus since the start of the pandemic (2020). She is my family’s dog, but after killing three of my mom’s chickens, she came to live with us at The Frederick Gunn School. In her two short years living on campus, Bay has killed one possum, one squirrel, one snake, lots of bugs, but no chickens. She took a chunk out of the tail of the racoon that lives in the tree by Teddy House. When she is not hunting, Bay enjoys snoozing for sixteen hours a day. If we do not wake her up in the morning, she will stay in bed until two in the afternoon. She is a very anxious little dog and does not like to be left alone, so once the academic day is over, she often accompanies me to practice or games. This winter, you may see her around campus sporting one of her fancy wool sweaters.”

Our campus is filled with lovely dogs. Whether it’s during dorm check-ins or when walking around campus, we are very lucky to be surrounded by those furry buddies. If you haven’t already, give some love to these pets. They will immediately enhance your mood; it’s guaranteed!