Rice is home to almost 3,000 undergraduates, college masters, RAs and their families — including a healthy population of friendly canines. Small or large, full-bred or anybody's guess, these four-legged family members soak up the attention and give back the love. Meet Rice's residential dogs. We asked Jeff Fitlow, university photographer, to capture their personalities. He had a doggone good time.
Introducing: Lady, 1, Australian shepherd (blue merle), and Stella, 7, border collie / golden retriever mix
Residential College: Sit, Rich, Sit!
Owner: Ken Whitmire, college master, professor of chemistry; father of Rice alumni Rachel ’06, Anna ’08 and current Rice senior Kenton
“The Sidizens love the dogs. They often come to the house for “Stella and Lady” study breaks. The dogs love the attention, and the students love being able to play with them.”
—Ken
Meet: Bogie, 4, English bulldog
Residential College: McBarktry
Owner: Alana Lemay-Gibson and Brian T. Gibson, head resident fellow, professor in the practice, kinesiology
“Bogie is about 18 inches tall and weighs 65 pounds. As you might expect, he is very strong, but also gentle, sweet and friendly. He loves to chase his toys in full sprint, typically followed by a long nap — he sleeps almost 20 hours per day and snores very loudly. He hates thunder and hides in the bathroom at the first clap. He LOVES cheese of any kind, but is partial to expensive and stinky ones. If you’re not afraid of a little drool, say hello when you see him on campus!” —Brian
Who’s a good dog: Alabama, 3, mixed breed
Residential College: Will Ruff
Owners: Bridget Gorman and Mike Reed, college masters; Bridget is professor and chair of sociology and Mike is a business owner; both are parents to their daughter, Frankie.
“We adopted Alabama from a local rescue group when she was six months old. She is a sweet girl who likes to cuddle and play when she is on break from guarding the Will Rice Master’s house from squirrel, rabbit and other small animal attacks. Alabama is very friendly and will excitedly jump up to meet you when you come by to visit.” —Bridget
Bark if you love: Baker, 6, and Bronté, 11, mixed breed
Residential College: Barker
Owners: Ivo-Jan and Rose van der Werff (or is it van der Woof?) and family, college masters. Ivo-Jan is professor of viola at the Shepherd School of Music.
“Baker and Bronté are an invaluable part of Baker College life. We have always had an open door policy at Baker House,and we are so grateful for these dogs as they help us break the ice with sensitive conversations with our students. A doggie cuddle or a walk dispels homesickness and stress or just missing their own dogs back home. Dogs should be treated with respect, and we would never put clothes on them save for one important secret Baker event — not to be named! In full Baker regalia, Bronte and Baker annually lead a procession and behave impeccably, as if they understand the importance of their roles!” —Rose
Best friend: Dozer, 9, English bulldog
Residential College: Will Ruff
Owner: Gwen Bradford, RA and faculty fellow and assistant professor of philosophy
“Dozer is a nine-year-old English bulldog, and, for an older gentleman, he’s got a fair bit of energy. At least some of the time. He was adopted a year ago from a rescue network. Not much is known about his life before Will Rice, but he’s really friendly and mellow, and even knows a couple of tricks. In his more energetic moods, Dozer loves fetch, tug of war, and he has legendary battles with the sprinklers, but most of the time he is, well, dozing. It’s his heart’s desire to one day find a Dozer-ette.” —Gwen
Who’s a good dog: Loki, 4, great Pyrenees/golden mix
Residential College: Loves Vet
Grand-owner: Sharon O’Leary, college coordinator
“Loki is my grand puppy, a big, hairy, mellow bundle of love. Loki frequently spends Fridays in the office and is a favorite stress reliever and champion snuggler. He loves music, Lovett College and Friday afternoons! During beer bike, he loves hanging out and “helping” fill water balloons.—Sharon
Awww: Smokey Bear, ageless, mixed breed
Residential College: McBarktry
Owner: Brad Blunt and Marla Sanders, RAs
“I found Smokey at the Rice Farmer’s Market. The shelter where he was born had a booth, and he was part of a litter of nine puppies, all of whom were named [something] Bear, like Smokey, Polar or Fuzzy. Smokey was probably the most docile of the bunch, and he remains a bit of an introvert. He’s a poet at heart and even has his own Facebook page where he shares some of his better work.” —Brad
Who’s a good dog: P. Seamus, 3, terrier mix
Residential College: Barktel
Owners: Taylor Cooper and Ben Stevenson, RAs
“P. Seamus is the definition of an extrovert and loves living at Martel because of all the attention and head scratches he gets from the students. Ben and I think one of the happiest days of his life was during O-Week last year. Martel hosts a huge ice breaker night where all the new students form a circle in the commons. We let P. Seamus loose, and he ran around the huge circle over and over again with all the students calling after him.” —Taylor
