The UA seems like the perfect place for our four-legged friends to play and run around, even though dogs aren’t allowed in the dorms. The Mall has plenty of grass, an infinite number of things to sniff and a lot of people eager to pet dogs.
We found Marge, an American Black Labrador Retriever, waiting patiently with Nikki Chapman, an animal science senior in the Student Union Memorial Center near the fountain. Marge is 3 years old and is no ordinary dog.
“She’s trained to be a guide dog for the blind,” Chapman said. “But she didn’t pass her certification test because she went potty when she wasn’t supposed to.”
Marge knows commands like “sit,” “lay down” and “stay,” and she’s rewarded with a treat every time she does something right. Friday was a special day for Marge: She participated in a study for one of Chapman’s classes.
The study will determine which dog breeds people are more likely to stop and pet. Chapman taped signs on the table where she sat, letting people know Marge was friendly.
“She’s the second breed. The first was a pit bull,” Chapman said. “We were thinking the black lab was going to win, but 80 people stopped in an hour to pet the pit bull. She’s got some competition.”
Chapman wasn’t Marge’s owner, but she knew a lot about the lab, saying how friendly and excited Marge got about everything.
“She loves everything on the earth,” Chapman said. “Dogs, cats, kids, adults, old people, inanimate objects, she loves it all.”
Louie, a 9-year-old cockapoo—(cocker spaniel and poodle mix)—took a walk with his owner Deborah Kinne on University Boulevard Friday morning. They both enjoyed their Starbucks—Kinne had a drink for herself and Louie had a cup of ice water.
Unfortunately, both Kinne and Louie just lost someone close to them. Kinne’s other dog, Annabelle, died recently.
“His friend just died last week, so he’s sad,” Kinne said. “He lays around the house in random places, he’s never done that before.”
Kinne lives near campus and takes Louie on walks around the area often, though she said the walks get shorter the older they get. She said he likes to walk and bark at people passing by.
Louie also enjoys the holiday season.
“He loves Christmas,” Kinne said. “He has Christmas sweaters and little bells to wear around his neck.”
But Louie’s best quality, according to his owner, is his loyalty. Kinne said whenever she goes out to the yard, no matter how hot it gets outside, Louie joins her.
He likes to lie in the shade and doesn’t care about getting dirty.
“He gets dirty from the bottom up,” Kinne said.
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