Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Happy National Dog Day!

August 26, 2024

Abigail Arnold | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The students at Brandeis University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) are brilliant, hard-working, multi-talented, and creative – but even they can’t do everything without support. And who could be a better source of emotional support than their beloved dogs? For National Dog Day 2024, GSAS asked students to send in pictures of their dogs, along with short descriptions of what makes them so great. Read on for a paws-itively adorable set of pictures and bios!

Name: Kira

Human Companion: Chloe Boatright, Mathematics PhD student

Bio: “Kira is a five (soon to be six)-year-old Siberian husky. She enjoys howling, long walks, and naps.”

Charlie, an English setter, looks at the camera.

Name: Charlie

Human Companion: Seth Eislund, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies master’s student

Bio: "Charlie is a ten-year-old English Setter. He has a mischievous yet lovable personality and enjoys chasing after squirrels, getting ear rubs, and eating cream cheese."

Link, a Border Collie/Dalmatian mix, lies on the couch with a bone.

Name: Link

Human Companion: Ashley Gilliam, Psychology PhD student

Bio: “Link is an eight-year-old border collie and dalmatian mix. He loves to go swimming and put his head on my lap while I do data analysis.”

Kirby, a Yorkie/Maltese mix wearing a bow tie, looks at the camera.

Name: Kirby

Human Companion: Hannah Harrison, Chemistry PhD student

Bio: “Kirby is an eleven-year-old Yorkie/ Maltese mix. He loves to hike and supervise my work (hence his tie).”

Lola, an American Bully dog, lies under a tree.

Name: Lola

Human Companion: Connor Johnson, Neuroscience PhD student

Bio: “Lola is a two-year-old American Bully. She loves sleeping all day and being energetic at night.”

Waffles and Maple, two dogs, sit on a porch looking at the camera.

Names: Waffles and Maple

Human Companion: Ersie Konstas, Sociology PhD student

Bio: “My dogs Waffles and Maple love to keep me busy during the semester by demanding walks and lots of pets! It’s always a good excuse for me to take a break!”

Four photos of labradors arranged in a square. Clockwise from top left: Sebastian, a yellow Lab, on the grass; Sylvia, a chocolate Lab, on a couch; Adelaide, a black lab, in a car; and Augustus, a yellow Lab, on the grass.

Names: Sebastian (top left), Sylvia (top right), Augustus (bottom left), and Adelaide (bottom right)

Human Companion: Hope Lockwood, English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies master’s Student

Bios: “Sebastian (also known as Sebby) is a three-year-old Labrador. He is named after the Venetian explorer Sebastian Cabot. He loves getting his chest scratched while you tell him how pretty he is and digging through the trash. We always joke we should’ve named him Oscar because of how much he loves trash!

Sylvia is a nine-month-old brown Labrador who, depending on who you ask, is either named after the author Sylvia Plath or Queen Silvia of Sweden. She loves playing in the water so much that you have to be careful to lock the bathroom door while showering or taking a bath because she will climb in with you, ruining your book.

Augustus (called Gus) is our three-year-old yellow Labrador who, despite never having been around any cats, behaves disturbingly like one. He loves to cuddle up with you while you read a book and will purr when petted. He’s bad at playing fetch but is always up for a good walk. He is named after the Australian explorer Augustus Gregory.

And, finally, our old girl Adelaide just turned eleven. She is a black Labrador and is named after Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. She loves getting belly scratches, marshmallows, and watching TV (especially if it has anything to do with horses).”

Thor, a Bullmastiff/Cane Corso/Rottweiler mix, looks at the camera.

Name: Thor

Human Companion: Ivory Mazyck, Anthropology master’s student

Bio: “Thor is a four-year-old Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, and Rottweiler mix. He is the sweetest cuddle-bug and is always there for me when I am in need of a break and a hug! He will be right by my side through the journey that is graduate school!”

Name: Bella

Human Companion: Jazmin Morales, Neuroscience PhD student

Bio: “Bella is thirteen years young, and she is part potato. Her favorite treat is spaghetti!”

Bikya, a terrier, looks over the back of a couch.

Name: Bikya

Human Companion: Alaa Murad, History PhD student

Bio: “Bikya is an eighteen-month-old terrier mutt who loves running and shredding chew toys. She takes naps while I work on my dissertation and barks at the mailman. She gets away with all kinds of shenanigans with her puppy eyes and crooked mouth.”

Jack, a German Shepherd mix, lies on the couch with a crocheted dog that looks like him.

Name: Jack

Human Companion: Charlie Summers, Anthropology master’s Student

Bio: "Jack is an eleven-year-old German Shepherd mix. Here he is posing with one of his many toys which he refuses to play with, a crocheted miniature version of himself."

And providing support to the GSAS staff…

Ranger, a dog, sits nestled on the top cushion of a couch, looking at the camera.

Name: Ranger

Human Companion: Kimberly Davis, GSAS Department Coordinator

Bio: “Ranger is our fourth rescue pet and second rescue dog. Like previous rescue pets, he has his quirks. Though he is a big love, he HATES to be left alone. If he is left alone too long, mischief, and sometimes destruction, ensues.”