By Liam Reilly
@liampreilly852
Fiona & Momo
Fiona Allen is a senior at Springfield College who got her dog Momo last January and brought him up to school. Her favorite memory with Momo was his first ever pup cup right after she adopted him. Their favorite activity together is going on hikes and exploring nature. Allen is moving to Cincinnati for an internship in the spring semester and has already scouted new national parks and hiking opportunities for her and her four legged friend.
“He provides a good routine and something to take care of which then helps me take care of myself,” Allen said.
Mia & Lasagna
Another furry resident of Springfield College is Lasagna the cat. His owner Mia Paltauf found Lasagna on Petfinder and drove to Brooklyn, New York in August with her boyfriend to pick him up. Lasagna’s favorite activities are eating, sleeping and watching the snow fall. Sometimes Lasagna spends his afternoons climbing dressers and jumping into boxes.
“Everyone loves Lasagna, I’ve had people come into our dorm just to see him,” Paltauf said. “It’s nice having a little companion that follows you around. You’ll just be laying there doing assignments and he’ll come in and lay with you.”
Chief Tiraboshi & Remy
Remy has been Springfield College’s comfort dog for the last two years. Chief Joseph Tiraboschi went to pick out from a litter in December and instantly knew Remy was the right fit. His favorite memory with Remy was the celebration for Remy’s first birthday because of the support Remy and public safety had received from the Springfield College Community. Remy is big into fetch and going on hikes, as well spending time with Tiraboschi’s son.
“He brings instant joy to students and staff,” Tiraboschi said. “Every time that people see him they light up and it eases a lot of stress on people’s shoulders. He’s also been very beneficial for even our staff here and our agency as well.”
Anna, Jacob & Winston
Junior Anna Fusco adopted Winston the rabbit last summer and has kept him on campus since. Her boyfriend Jacob Wagner helps Anna take care of Winston. Anna’s favorite memory with Winston is seeing him play outside her house with her pitbull and how the two will end the day laying down next to each other. His favorite activity is going shopping.
“Bringing him helped both of us cause we were nervous to bring him to campus at first, but as soon as we brought him outside, people were coming up to us and he gained a lot of interaction. It helped us to socialize him as well as ourselves,” Wagner said.
“People at the union always ask where he is,” Fusco said. “The ladies up front ask how he is and we get his salad from there as well.”
Mary-Beth Cooper and Jack & Duke
Mary-Beth Cooper has been the President of Springfield College for 12 years. During her third year in the role she got her dog Jack. Duke is Cooper’s son Cal’s dog, who is currently deployed and chose to leave Duke with Cooper. Cooper’s favorite memory with Jack was when he was a small pup and sat in the basket of the James Naismith statue. Her favorite activity with Duke is taking him to Mount Tom and hiking.
“People enjoy seeing the dogs on campus because they miss their own dogs,” Cooper said. “We employ students to walk them twice a day on campus and people stop and pet them. They make life interesting and they’re good company to have.”
Photo courtesy of Liam Reilly