​A Westy Campus Dog

By Margee Mahoney ’24

We’ve all come to know and love our campus dogs. They’re always there to brighten up our day and make campus feel a bit more like home; however, recently, dogs have been revoked of their in-dorm privileges due to allergies and a few too many stolen-goods scandals.

This, in my humble opinion, is absolutely unacceptable. Who can better brighten up a sub-par day than man’s best friend? There are obvious solutions to our problems: the majority of dog allergies are minor, and no one’s saying you have to get close to them! And if dogs sniff around a bit too much in someone's room, first of all, what an excellent reminder to tidy up and take out your trash, and, secondly, put a leash around the dog! Problem solved.
 
I think we should take it a step further and bring our campus dogs back into our dorms. Bringing them back yields multiple benefits. Students learn the responsibility of taking care of a living thing; both students and our campus dogs benefit from the comfort. Additionally, we’d have a mascot!
 
I’m sure that by dividing tasks among over 400 students, we could handle taking care of a dog, giving it the proper care, nutrition, exercise, and attention it needs. And, just as a fail-safe, one chaperone who is a dog lover but isn’t up for 24/7 supervision could be the official “owner.”
 
I don’t see the harm in adding one more furry friend to everyone’s hearts. I vote for a King Charles Spaniel.