Every student on campus knows his name, but not everyone knows his story. Jonathan, the two-year-old, blue-eyed Siberian black and white husky is the 14th of his kind.
There are currently three Jonathans on campus: two canine and one costumed mascot. Jonathan XIII, an all-white husky, has retired as the official mascot, but does show his face occasionally.
The costumed mascot attends UConn games on and off-campus, but the university exercises very little control over the dog himself. For example, it does not control what events he appears at or who takes care of him, nor do they pay for his care.
Instead, the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity has that responsibility. Members of the group are in charge of walking him, feeding him, grooming him, taking him to the vet, and deciding which events on campus he should attend. There is a committee of 15 handlers within the fraternity that care for Jonathan.
The university reaches out to Alpha Phi Omega when it wants to make a promotional video or photo shoot. Athletics also invites the husky to games.
Considering the difficulties of caring for an animal in a college dorm room, a host family off-campus also takes care of Jonathan XIV and his predecessor, Jonathan XIII.
Leann Hennessey and Erica Ballas are two of Jonathan’s caregivers. Hennessey has been caring for Jonathan since the spring of 2016, and Ballas since the fall of 2014. They are both undergraduate students.
Claire Tremont's Writing 