Do your tests have you stressed? Are group projects ruining your life? If so, take some time out of your day and go for a walk around campus. You never know what kinds of dogs you’ll find. Be sure to remember dog etiquette, though, and always ask the owners before you pet their dogs—some are working service dogs who have very important jobs to do.
Fall may have officially arrived, but it doesn’t quite feel that way here in Tucson. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, but temperatures are still north of 90 degrees. The dogs of the UA mostly walk around campus during the evenings now, when the weather is cooler and more dog-friendly.
Zoe the Labradoodle recently took a run with her owner, Scott Saleska, and his daughter on the UA campus. Saleska is a professor in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UA.
RELATED: Dogs of UA: Jax and Jax relax on the mall
Zoe is a rescue dog from Arizona Poodle Rescue, so her exact age is unknown. Her owners think she is around 11 or 12-years-old, about the same age as Saleska’s daughter.
Zoe was very well-behaved, never wandering away during the interview. She is also very soft and had just gotten a haircut.
“She’s great with kids and other dogs,” Saleska said. “Just a great dog all around, except for picking food off the table.”
Zoe’s favorite toys are tennis balls—she loves to chase them.
“Zoe’s a laid-back, easygoing dog,” Saleska said. “She’s basically a big sweetie.”
Tarzan, a 2-year-old miniature poodle, also lights up the night—literally.
He wears a light on his collar so he’s visible in the dark when he walks around campus. His owner, Nathan Eyde, a public health graduate student, said he bought the light so he doesn’t lose him.
A color-changing light is hard to miss, even on a tiny dog.
Tarzan loves to go for walks, and his favorite place to go is the UA.
RELATED: The Dogs of UA are out and about
“He really enjoys walking on campus, that’s probably his favorite thing,” Eyde said.
Eyde has always had large dogs in the past, but he said he’s having a good experience with his first small dog, especially since Tarzan loves to cuddle.
“They can actually cuddle with you and sleep in your bed,” Eyde said.
Car rides are a fun time for many dogs, including Tarzan.
He loves sticking his head out the window while riding around town.
Eyde said Tarzan will even climb onto someone’s lap so he can stick his head out the window farther.
“I really like his relaxed personality,” Eyde said.
Follow Taylor Brestel on Twitter.