Dear Members of the University Community,
After a few days of illness, we are sad to share that Gus Garvey, first dog of Catholic University, died last night in Nugent Hall.
In 2011, not long after we moved to Catholic University, Jeanne brought home a scruffy little mutt. It took me some time to warm up to him. But the way he instantly connected with the students was invaluable.
In 2017 I wrote in my column for Catholic News Service about what a good animal Gus was for a president of a University:
He doesn't bark. He's comfortable around people and looks approachable. He resembles Little Orphan Annie's dog Sandy. My wife, who acquired him from the animal rescue league at Eastern Market, imagines that he had, like Sandy, a traumatic early life.
That might explain his pathetic devotion to her. And why not? She buys him ducks' feet for treats, takes him for walks, lets him sit on her lap to watch TV. Compared to chasing squirrels for dinner and sleeping in the snow (the life she imagines he once led), he's fallen into a tub of butter.
Gus will come and sit respectfully by my chair, but if he does, it's a sure sign that Jeanne is not home. He tolerates me. It's mutual.
Gus became a celebrity to students from the moment they moved on to campus. He often accompanied us to greet students and parents at move-in day. He also joined us for campus traditions — often dressing up for Halloween on campus and attending the Christmas tree lighting. He liked to join Red the mascot in videos and social media posts as a sort of unofficial mascot.
He even achieved broader fame. The Washington Post wrote about him in a feature on University pets, as did the Chronicle of Higher Education.
We are grateful to Gus for his service to the Office of the President and the University over the last 10 years. Often, we felt his presence helped students, faculty, and staff to be less hesitant to approach us around campus. Who could resist greeting a small dog with kind brown eyes and shaggy fur?
Nugent Hall will be a quieter and sadder place without him. And we’ll miss the students who came to walk him for us. We do hope that the students, when they return in the fall, will continue to say hello to us on our walks around campus. We know it was only Gus they were interested in, but we’ll need the attention now.
Sincerely,
John and Jeanne Garvey
