嘿嘿视频

Animals on Campus

Dogs, cats, horses, lizards, birds. Meet some of the animals that make college life fun.

嘿嘿视频 has always been animal-friendly. And why not? Studies have shown that having a pet can help relieve stress and boost overall happiness and well-being. Some of the animals on campus have important jobs, while others are along for the ride to college. Meet some of our friends 鈥 of different species 鈥 here. 

Cheeto the cat
Walter the bearded dragon with Michelle Lagos
Fergus with his trainer, Elena O'Rourke
Elena O鈥橰ourke with Fergus (Gregory Urquiaga / 嘿嘿视频)

Fergus

The Service Dog in Training

Elena O鈥橰ourke is having fun and doing good. She is the founder and president of Davis Puppy Pals, a student-based service club that seeks to support service dog organizations, service puppy raisers and service dog handlers. Puppy Pals now has over 20 members, four of whom are currently raising puppies to become service dogs. A fourth-year animal science major, O鈥橰ourke was initially inspired by her animal volunteer work in high school. In her sophomore year of college, when she had moved out of the dorms and into a house, she started the club. Two years later, she鈥檚 training her second puppy 鈥 a golden retriever named Fergus. Fergus will learn more than 30 basic commands, in addition to socialization, before he goes on to professional training. These puppies are trained for service work, ranging from hearing dogs to skilled companions for children. Saying goodbye is hard, but the sacrifice is worth it, she said. O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 first puppy, Dizzy, is now a service dog for a woman with a degenerative muscle disease. 鈥淵ou put so much love and care into something and send that back out into the community.鈥 Plus, she gets to play with a lot of dogs. She said: 鈥淛ust last week we had a pool party with 18 dogs!鈥

Cheeto, the physics cat
Cheeto, outside the physics building on campus (Karin Higgins / 嘿嘿视频)

Cheeto

A Popular Local

Physics can be soul-shattering. That鈥檚 according to a sign that was posted this year outside the 嘿嘿视频 physics building telling visitors about the facility鈥檚 resident cat, Cheeto. The sign said he offers emotional support to students and went on to encourage people not to overfeed him 鈥 as he may be obese and a bit of a beggar. The building鈥檚 former office supervisor Tracey Brooks began feeding cats in the area in 2011 and cared for Cheeto until this summer. She recalled seeing at least eight cats early on, and most were adopted by students. Her co-worker Krystal Scruggs continues to care for the cats. Visitors have been known to leave cat food and treats for Cheeto, an issue that led to the sign. To ensure the cats are healthy, physics professor Richard Scalettar works with student organizations and the vet school. Though it takes additional thought, Brooks said she, Scalettar and others have enjoyed helping the cats. 鈥淥ne summer, there was a visiting student who wasn鈥檛 spending time with their classmates during breaks. But the building cats, especially Cheeto, became her friends,鈥 Brooks shared. 鈥淲e take care of the cats because they help anyone who needs a friend.鈥

Walter the bearded dragon
Walter, with her owner on campus (Karin Higgins / 嘿嘿视频)

Walter

A Well-Traveled Reptile

Her summer travels have been documented via , from a walk in the 嘿嘿视频 Arboretum to a stroll through The Grove in Los Angeles. But Walter isn鈥檛 your typical travel influencer. For one thing, she鈥檚 a lizard.

Walter鈥檚 owner is a third-year English student. She said the account, created in July, got a much bigger response than she had anticipated. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think a lot of people would find it interesting,鈥 she said, 鈥渂ut a lot of people really like her photos and comment.鈥 In posts written from Walter鈥檚 perspective, they chronicle her adventures around 嘿嘿视频 and West Hollywood.

Her owner got Walter from Petco five months ago and said she chose the name because it sounds mature and sophisticated. A month later she found out Walter is actually a girl. Her distinguished moniker seems to suit her, she said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 pretty quirky. She has a very picky attitude. She doesn鈥檛 like her vegetables.鈥

Walter has been pictured all over campus. For one photo, Walter sat on a rock, but the lizard escaped into the rocks for 20 minutes before being safely captured. Despite the challenges, her owner said that Walter loves to come to campus. 鈥淪he gets to explore 嘿嘿视频 and hang out with me.鈥

Nina, the boarder horse, with her owner Margo Rosenbaum
Nina, pictured with Margo Rosenbaum at the 嘿嘿视频 Equestrian Center (Gregory Urquiaga / 嘿嘿视频)

Nina

A Beloved Boarder

When Margo Rosenbaum applied to college, one of her top priorities was to make sure her friend Nina could accompany her. This couldn鈥檛 happen at just any college, because Nina is a horse: a gray warmblood and Oldenburg mare. Rosenbaum, now a second-year student majoring in communication, said, 鈥淭hat was the dream. I didn鈥檛 want to have to sell her when I was going off to college so I was going to somehow make it work no matter where I went.鈥 Nina now boards at the 嘿嘿视频 Equestrian Center. Rosenbaum spends one to three hours every day riding and spending time with Nina. Rosenbaum started riding horses when she was 4. She got Nina as a high schooler, and the duo competed in hunter-jumper shows. Now, the two compete on the 嘿嘿视频 Hunter Jumper Team. She said that having Nina close is a great way to meet people with similar interests. Nina lives in a pasture with five other horses, and Rosenbaum knows all of their owners. And how does Nina feel about life at 嘿嘿视频? 鈥淚 think she likes college,鈥 said Rosenbaum. 鈥淲herever I go once I graduate, she鈥檒l come along with me.鈥 

Pint, the tee retriever
Pint, at work on the football field (Karin Higgins / 嘿嘿视频)

Pint

The Tee Retriever

Pint has been a fixture on the 嘿嘿视频 football field since 2012. The 8-year-old Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever fetches the team鈥檚 kickoff tee. This year though, he鈥檚 taking a break while his owners, Danika and Mike Bannasch, are on sabbatical in Switzerland. The only chance to will be at this year鈥檚 Homecoming game on Oct. 12. The Bannasches got involved in the football games to bring awareness to the School of Veterinary Medicine, where she is a professor and he is a clinical trial coordinator. It鈥檚 also the place where Pint鈥檚 grandmother underwent lifesaving treatment. According to Danika Bannasch, Pint loves swimming and retrieving. 鈥淧int loves to work and is a pretty serious, focused dog,鈥 she said. While Pint鈥檚 gone, the invites fans to submit videos of their animals doing their best Pint impressions for their chance to be featured on the videoboard this season. 

Charlie, the police dog
Charlie, the K-9 (Courtesy)

Charlie

The Skilled Sniffer

One of the most recognizable faces on the 嘿嘿视频 police force is four-legged. Charlie, the 8-year-old black lab and border collie mix, was rescued locally through Labs 2 Love and eventually adopted by the 嘿嘿视频 Police Department. Originally part of an outreach program, Charlie is the campus explosive detection dog, and he now works patrol shifts. His social media accounts remain active, keeping the community updated on his police work. Where Charlie goes, so does his handler, Officer Vincent Kwong. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any kids but I kind of equivocate him to a kid,鈥 explained Kwong. 鈥淗e鈥檚 basically my roommate.鈥 The opportunity to take care of Charlie drew Kwong to the position five years ago, he said. Excellent communication between them is essential, so weekends are spent conducting detection training. Charlie is commonly called in for preventative explosive sweeps prior to high-profile speaker visits or events on campus. Now Charlie and Kwong are inseparable. 鈥淪eparation anxiety is horrible with him.鈥

Huggie, with foster mom Jennifer Belke
Huggie, with his foster mom, Jennifer Belke (Courtesy)

Huggie

A Calming Presence

The nurses in the Pediatric Infusion Center at the 嘿嘿视频 Comprehensive Cancer Center recognize Huggie as a familiar face when he pads down the halls and joins them on breaks 鈥 he鈥檚 their co-worker. For them and Jennifer Belke 鈥 the retriever mix's handler 鈥 he鈥檚 an important part of their routine. Three-year-old Huggie has been a team member since May 2018 and helps provide care to pediatric patients. Canine Companions for Independence bred, trained and provided Huggie for free. As a facility dog, he is distinct from a therapeutic animal. 鈥淭herapeutic animals are your own personal pet, and they only know five basic commands,鈥  Belke explained. Facility dogs, by contrast, are licensed through a company until retirement, and ownership only passes to their foster parents once the dogs retire. To work in a hospital, they need extra veterinary visits, extra bathing, and more extensive care of their dog beds, collars and leashes. They鈥檙e also taught more than 40 commands. Huggie has a comforting presence. 鈥淎 couple kids swear that having him in the chair makes them more brave,鈥 said Belke. Belke said she treasures the opportunity to work with Huggie to provide care 鈥 despite her allergy to dogs. 鈥淗e provides something I cannot provide as a human. There鈥檚 a time that he can curl up in a bed, and kids relax, parents calm down and start to cry,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd I can鈥檛 do that 鈥 Huggie really just fills a void.鈥 

... And Some Wildlife

A blue jay eats peanuts from a desk and then flies away

Behind the eucalyptus grove, on the second floor of Hoagland Hall, Eric Kvigne, associate vice chancellor of Safety Services, prepares for some visitors. During the warmer months, Kvigne is greeted by small groups of blue jays 鈥 who come inside his office for peanuts 鈥 sometimes as often as a couple of times a day. 鈥淭hey just come flying in and pick them up,鈥 Kvigne said, pointing to the building鈥檚 breezeway outside his workspace. This ritual was established several years ago, and Kvigne now keeps a jar of peanuts above his desk for the blue jays. Kvigne chuckled, remembering the impact the birds have had around the office. 鈥淪ometimes it would be a problem because when the door is open and someone鈥檚 walking by from that direction,鈥 he said, pointing to the offices next door to him, 鈥渢hey鈥檙e just walking down the breezeway and suddenly a bird comes flying across.鈥 They also serve as a reminder of the food chain. Pointing to the eucalyptus trees, Kvigne said, 鈥淲e have nesting hawks out there who think the blue jays taste very good.鈥

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