By Emerson Cherry, Currier Times Staff///

Graham is the well-known canine-companion of our very own Curry President, Jay Gonzalez. The furry-friend can be seen all around campus putting smiles on students, staff and faculy faces! Lately, you may have noticed your peers being in charge of Graham in his daily duties.

Starting his day off bright and early with a 7 a.m. wake up, Graham will eat his breakfast and go on a walk with the President or a close acquaintance. Shortly after this he is picked up by a student here at Curry to be taken to his training session!

Junior, Dabria Allardice, is one of the students you may find taking Graham for a walk or just popping in and out of popular Curry spots letting everyone say hi.

“A benefit of watching Graham is meeting students around campus,” said Allardice. “Everyone around campus is always so excited to see him and it’s nice to be able to introduce myself when bringing Graham around.”

After bringing Graham to his morning duties, he now arrives back onto campus in the afternoon to take his long nap in the dorms! After this he is taken by his student helper for the day to hang around popular spots on campus.

As many students are, Allardice is a big dog person. She touches on how having Graham around makes her feel at home.

“When I first met Graham, it was like I got myself a new puppy,” said Allardice. “I have always had dogs my whole life and also work with dogs, so it was nice to be able to spend time with Graham. This allows me to spend time with a dog since being away at college and not being able to go home as much as I would like.”

As President Gonzalez allows these students to take care of his dog, Graham becomes the most popular dog among the students here on campus.

Graduate student, Madison Resendes, also has the opportunity to take care of Graham and shares some of the daily activities she does with him.

“I have been able to take Graham to many events on campus like the PAL program, different classes, and even get to bring him to his school throughout the week,” said Resendes. “I have gotten to learn some of the commands that Graham has been taught and watch him progress in his training.”

Finishing off his day, Graham will eat his dinner and start to wind down after another long day of being the President’s pup, inside of the resident halls. He will go back to his house here on campus at night time and will do the same thing the very next day!

When Allardice was asked how she got involved with the care-taking of Graham, she shared the steps she had to follow.

“I was involved in taking care of Graham as one of my friends mentioned the position,” said Allardice. “She said that President Jay was in need of an extra helping hand and I met with both President Jay, his secretary Amy and Graham himself.”

Curry College students have never been so interactive with a President, as bringing a new puppy into campus made the bridge between students and President Gonzalez an easy transition.

Resendes added, “Fun fact: Graham loves to play with any kind of sticks or branches!”

So if you see Graham around campus, make sure to give him a pet (or stick)!

Do you want Graham to make a special appearance at your next event/class? There are opportunities for students and faculty to request Graham!

Amy Bianchi, the president’s Administrative Assistant, explains how having Graham here on campus as an in-training
emotional support dog is beneficial to all around.

“The goal for Graham is mainly to bring happiness to those around him,” Bianchi said. “He brings smiles to everyone, seems to be a huge hit for families visiting Curry and deciding if Curry is the right fit for them and he has given students an opportunity to help care for him that they may not otherwise have had the opportunity to do elsewhere.”

If you would like to request Graham for an event here at Curry you can visit this link and fill out the form!