Photographs by Rob Strong ’04

Teva 

Breed: Husky

Age: 5

Humble Servant: Professor Matthew Ritger ’10 (English/creative writing)

Special Connection: Teva can’t bark. She can make only little woofing sounds. “At the shelter, people started dropping out of line because they worried that she was traumatized,” says Ritger. “I decided I’ll go meet her anyway, and as I did, I thought, ‘She’s not traumatized. She just doesn’t know anything.’ ”

Favorite Snack: Burger Bites by Rachael Ray; Dream Bones

Favorite Campus Food: She’s always excited to find chicken bones in the bushes or pizza crusts in the snowbanks.

Professor’s Take: “She’s easygoing and sweet and adventurous, but she has a bizarre stubborn streak.”

Chewie 

Breed: Long-haired dachshund

Age: 4

Humble Servant: Professor Yusaku Horiuchi (government and Japanese studies)

Name Origins: Officially, he’s Chewbacca. 

Not Intimidated: When little Chewie has playdates with his four-legged friends, he’s never afraid of the big dogs.

I Will Not doze Alone: Chewie can’t sleep unless there’s someone close by.

Professor’s Take: “When he’s with his pals, Chewie thinks he’s the boss. He’s cheerful, comical, spoiled, and he loves to be hugged. He usually likes to be with my wife, but when our kids are visiting, he has his priorities: I’m the last.”

Fern

Breed: Mini-Australian shepherd

Age: 3

Humble Servants: Associate professor Julie Rose (government) and Rockefeller Center assistant director Herschel Nachlis

Most Effective Bribe: Will do anything for peanut butter

No. 1 Enemy: Garbage bins on wheels

We’ll See How Long This Lasts: Fern is currently banned from sleeping on the bed, so she sleeps under it.

Field Trips: Fern has taken field trips with policy classes to Washington, D.C. “She knows no boundaries with political figures of all sorts,” says Nachlis.

No Bite: She barks when students applaud a guest speaker.

Professor’s Take: “Fern is loving, clever, playful, and opinionated. She is very self-absorbed.”

Maddie

Breed: Chocolate Lab

Age: 3

Humble Servant: Professor Russell Muirhead (government)

Thanks for the Seat: Maddie ignores “stay off the furniture” commands.

Favorite Plaything: Dunkin Donuts squeaky toy

Unexplained Behavior: Sneaking into the neighbor’s house

Campus Heaven: Pine Park

Next Adventure: Learning to swim

Professor’s Take: “She is full of vitality.”

Zuzu

Breed: Beabull (beagle-bulldog)

Age: 3

Humble Servants: Professors Leslie Butler and Bob Bonner (history)

name origins: Named after the youngest daughter in It’s A Wonderful Life

Unexplained Behavior: Zuzu bites bees, leading to several visits to the vet.

Known For: Her chirpy bark

A Tendency for Destruction: Zuzu loves toys that squeak but is quite surgical about removing the squeaker. “She has destroyed every supposedly indestructible toy she has ever encountered,” says Butler.

Rex

Breed: Rhodesian Ridgeback

Age: 4

Humble Servant: Professor Pino Audia (Tuck)

On Campus: Rex enjoys trotting alongside Audia—off leash—when the prof skis on the former Dartmouth golf course. 

No Thanks: Rex doesn’t like green beans. 

Shoe Chew: As a puppy, Rex shredded an entire L.L. Bean boot.

Professor’s Take: “He poses. Rex has a stoic look, like he’s really seeking to connect with the person and to understand: What does this person want from me right now?”