By Maram Sharif ’22
In the previous editions of Meet the Campus Dogs, we featured seven of our furry friends: Maggie, Lucy, Rigby, Henley, Eve, Harry and Bay. We can never get enough of these wonderful companions, so let’s meet some more of them.
Firstly, we have Mr. Allen, who is a new face on campus; he is the Assistant Director of Admissions and the coach of girls’ varsity hockey. He tells us about Loki who is a three months old Australian Labradoodle: “Loki has been on campus for one month. He loves all people and dogs. He is hypoallergenic so everyone can play and have fun with him. He loves peanut butter and playing with his toys. He is great at fetch and will chase after anything you throw. He is very friendly and wants to meet every person so just come up and say hi!”
Next up, Mrs. Bell is delighted to tell us about Luna:
“Luna is a white shepherd/husky mix that we adopted in late February from a foster family in Massachusetts. She is three years old and super sweet. Luna is currently being trained and is proving to be super smart and eager to learn. She loves people and craves lots of attention though she’s still getting used to playing with other dogs. However, once she meets a new dog friend, she usually plays nicely. She loves cheese and lots of snuggles. Although she loves meeting people and is always very gentle with humans, Luna is at her best when there are only a couple new friends petting her at once. Outside is her favorite place to be and she’s always on a mission (though we don’t always know what it is!) The husky in her loves to pull on her leash but we’re working on that.”
Mr. Leblanc tells us about their ten-weeks-old Black Labrador Retriever, Hattie, who has been with them for only two and a half weeks: “When our first dog of 11.5 years, Tuuk, passed away in September, we always knew we wanted another Black Lab. After many, many months of researching, Mr. Brown let us know that the breeder where he got Maddux from, had an upcoming litter and that we should check them out. We’re sure glad we did! Hattie is the typical puppy. She loves to chase balls, play with her squeaky toys, and is always ready for a snuggle! Being a puppy has its perks, Hattie loves to crawl in between the coffee table.”He adds: “Hattie is very much a puppy and loves to jump to greet people (we’re working on that!). She loves a good belly rub to calm her down!”
Mrs. Gritti tells us about her two dogs:
“Meet Gigi (the black and white dog). We adopted Gigi as a puppy four years ago. She is a mixed breed of unknown lineage but definitely is part Staffordshire terrier. Her enthusiasm for making new human and dog friends is obvious when you meet her because her wiggly doggy body is liable to knock you over with her eagerness to give you kisses. She is 50% muscle and 50% emotion. She moves like an athlete (when she chooses to), but also feels deeply. She vocalizes her feelings with the many noises she makes. She has a joyful bark, a jealous whine when her dog sister is hogging our attention , “sings” when her human sister plays the saxophone and mournfully wails while she lets her chihuahua dog sister beat her up during playtime. She is an intelligent gal, and learns tricks easily. Feel free to introduce yourself to Gigi!”
Next she tells us about Syd, the small, Chihuahua mix: “Syd is two and was adopted and transported from Tennessee where she was living on the street. Though she might bark at squirrels or interlopers into the Bourne garden, if given the chance, upon meeting you she would likely flop down on the ground and submit to a belly rub. Perhaps because of her time on the streets, she is a fierce playmate and doesn’t back down against bigger dogs and plays the role of a literal “ankle biter” when her humans dare to walk away from her or her dog sister doesn’t feel like playing. She rarely respects personal boundaries and fights for the comfy spot -whether that spot is on your lap or on your shoulder, and sometimes positions herself right in front of your face so she can look into your eyes and peer deeply into your soul. She is a sassy and sweet pup. If you see her on campus, make sure to say hi!”
Finally, Mrs. Archer tell us about Phantom:
“is named for his white and black face, making him look like the Phantom of the Opera. He is a four-year-old border collie and Australian shepherd mix. We rescued him from a rescue farm in Tennessee when he was three months old. As a herding dog, Phantom is very energetic and loves to run and play. He is also extremely friendly and fond of people and other dogs. This year, he has had to adapt to being a big brother to his human little brother, Nathaniel. Phantom loves that his baby brother has started eating solid food, since most of it ends up on the floor for Phantom to eat. Phantom encourages everyone to come up and pet him if they see him around campus.”
