Do you love dogs more than you love yourself? If so, UConn is the place for you! We have plenty of dogs on campus so you can get your canine fix at any hour of the day. Here is a rundown of the top dogs here on UConn’s campus.
Mascot Jonathan
We all know and love him. He attends every sports game on- and off-campus from women’s field hockey to men’s football to women’s basketball and everything in between. What would we do without his constant support and love? He is our number-one hype man. Jonathan is the glue that holds this campus together. You may think I am biased because I go to UConn but his enthusiasm is seen by everyone near and far. He was the most voted-for mascot during the 2022 NCAA WBB season. Although he isn’t a real dog, he represents all the dogs here on campus and is the face of #huskypride.
Jonathan the Husky XIV
Just as important as the Mascot Jonathan is the real-life Jonathan the Husky. He is the 14th Jonathan to walk this campus and certainly not the last. He is widely known as the face of UConn and he is even a verified celebrity on Instagram with 46,000 followers. He recently celebrated his ninth birthday and the line was out the door to help celebrate this beloved pup on his special day. Despite what you may think about Jonathan due to his age, this husky is still a puppy at heart. He can be seen frolicking around campus near Horsebarn Hill or sitting on the sideline with his sidekick (Mascot Jonathan) cheering on his fellow huskies. It is not a secret that Mascot Jonathan and Jonathan XIV are best friends as they even posted together for National Best Friends day on June 8, 2022 (as seen below).
Officer Tildy and Officer Carson
These two crime-fighting canines are undoubtedly UConn’s most iconic duo. They are the face of the UConn Police Department because they truly care about their fellow dogs on campus. Having such friendly faces as a part of the UConn PD, helps break the distrust between students and authority on campus and creates a harmonious environment for all. They enjoy their routine walks around campus, meeting new people everywhere they goā especially when the weather is nice! Officer Tildy and Officer Carson are always welcoming any attention they can get because they know that when they are happy dogs, the students are happy too! If you stop by one of UConn PD’s many events hosted here on campus you might even get featured on Officer Tildy or Officer Carson’s Instagram page.
Celeste the Therapy DOg
Alysha Guthrie, a first-year animal science major here at UConn, is the owner of Celeste the Therapy Dog. Alysha grew up in an unstable household in Massachusetts and was raised by her grandparents for the majority of her life. Although Alysha had a lot of mental health issues, she never properly learned how to deal with them because of the stigma around mental health. However, after losing both of her grandparents, these mental health problems became hard to ignore. As college came creeping around the corner, Alysha realized that she needed a therapy dog.
It took her a while to save up for a therapy dog because many of them go for around $35,000. After years of looking, Alysha found a young dog named Celeste who was set to be put down at a shelter in Florida. A company called Professional Canine Services was able to bring Celeste and Alysha together for a price of $4,600. Celeste needed a lot of work because she was so young but Alysha was willing to put in the effort. Celeste is a certified therapy dog but Alysha is working with her to become a service dog in order to help her with all her needs.
Alysha told me that she never thought she would get this far in college, but Celeste has helped her in unimaginable ways. Alysha routinely does meet and greets because she knows that many people can not afford to have therapy pets even though they may need them. Alysha can see how people’s eyes light up when they see Celeste on campus. Changing someone’s life, even in the smallest way, is worth it according to Alysha. Follow Celeste the Therapy Dog on Instagram to learn more about meetups on campus!
Dr. Pepper the Service Dog
Jazlyn Coates is a first-generation student studying special education in her first year here at UConn. She got Dr. Pepper as a puppy when she was adopted at 13 years old. Dr. Pepper is now 15 years old but still a puppy at heart! Dr. Pepper started off as a therapy dog to help Jazlyn during panic attacks by laying his head on her chest to help ground her.
A few years ago, Jazlyn suffered a serious sports accident that left her with nerve damage in her spinal tissue. Through all of this, Dr. Pepper never left Jazlyn’s side. He eventually caught on to her struggles and began to walk at her exact pace and stand between her legs for balance and support among other things. Jazlyn and her family saw Dr. Pepper’s potential as a service dog and they began training him to achieve this status.
Despite his age, Dr. Pepper continues to serve Jazlyn every day as her best friend and her guide through life. Dr. Pepper has also helped Jazlyn deal with the stigma of having a disability on a college campus. Dr. Pepper also takes part in the meetups on campus with the other therapy and service dogs. Both Jazlyn and Dr. Pepper have made many new friends within this community because of these playdates. Jazyln explained that she recognizes that Dr. Pepper is at the end of his life and although it is difficult coming to this realization, she wants to be able to give back to him for everything that he did for her throughout her formative years.
wonton the service dog
Ryan Catlin is a junior management information systems major here at UConn. Wonton gets his name from the fact that he loves to sleep all curled up in a ball, like a wonton (pictured below). Wonton and Ryan have been a duo for about three years now. Due to COVID, Ryan had not been on campus yet, so Wonton has helped make this transition to living on campus as smooth as possible. Wonton not only helps Ryan pick things up when they drop and get around campus with ease but he also has helped Ryan become more social around campus. Wonton meets up with his friends about once a week to help keep him active. Although Wonton is a service dog that needs to be focused at all times, he loves being pet but just make sure to ask his owner Ryan before doing so.
Marlin the Service Dog
Kiley Sweet is an allied health major with a minor in psychology here at UConn. She has only had Marlin since June since he is only a year and a half old. Kiley explains that “Marlin means everything to [her]” because he has helped her in ways that she wouldn’t be able to do without him. Marlin picks things up when they drop, readjusts Kiley’s feet when they get out of place and he even knows how to open the fridge when she needs food. He loves college and his happiness is infectious to the other students here on campus so his assistance goes far beyond what he does for Kiley. Marlin participates in the doggy playdates on campus with the other service and therapy dogs. These weekly playdates have been a great way for both the dogs and their owners to release all the pent-up energy from the week.
Conclusion
The dogs on UConn’s campus come in all shapes and sizes. Each and every one of them provide us with something unique. We are blessed to be on a campus that has so many amazing canines! Please make sure to thank them next time you see them by giving them lots of pets and scratches.