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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNewRev2 Big d. og News 0n campus and it wasn't long before a Reveille Settling on the collie fluffy, white and tan puppy When Texas A&M finally was on a plane to College Sta- settled on the collie as its tion from Fairbanks, Alaska, Committee to determine From Al mascot, there was no rhyme Burson said. or reason behind the deci- "No other major university new A&M mascot's breed tinguished, regal look while sion, Burson said during a possessed the collie as a mas- also being easily trainable, recent interview. cot. They thought it was dis- calm and not afraid of loud The first collie was donated tinctive, and the popularity By HOLLY HUFFMAN noises. by the parents of twin broth- of Lassie was still there in Eagle Staff Writer M "We obviously would love to ers serving in the Corps of the 60s," Burson said. "That see a collie happening," said Cadets, Burson said. Aware was the whole reason. There When Texas A&M Universi- sophomore Mascot Cpl. Sean that Reveille II—then age 14 wasn't anything formal to it. ty's first mascot died in Janu- Cook, who took over as han- in 1966—was sick and likely It was just because these stu- ary 1944, the student body did- dler for Reveille VII this would die in office, they dents offered." n't immediately turn to the spring. "Rev started as a mutt called their parents, who The collie has served as collie that now graces the and she's changed throughout bred collies in Alaska. A&M's mascot ever since. sidelines at Kyle Field every the years so much. Really, as Arrangements were made Saturday in the fall. long as she's a happy, fun-lov- before the litter was birthed See BREED, Page A7 The first Reveille—dubbed ing dog, that's really what as such because she barked embodies the tradition of who upon hearing a bugler sound she is and what she is." the military wake-up call after arriving on campus —was a An ideal candidate climate in Texas, he noted. der around campus. "It was As a black-and-white mutt. Reveille VII has been the Breed herding dog, Reveille ence training,but perhaps she derstood. Tlough sad to see When the Student Senate most traveled of all her prede The original Reveille had a because she had such a sweet has a tendency to try to con- could go through some sort of her retire, gook said he is decided seven years later to go cessors, but even without the lot of Labrador in her,Burson disposition that A&M has this trol the crowd, he said. If seeing-eye-dog or rescue eager for Reveille to finally about replacing the original increased amount of personal said. But he was quick to mascot tradition today." A&M decides to o with a new training mongrel, it opted for a strong appearances, the mascot still I From AS f point out it wasn't her brbed g g that would teach her get to have a"dog's life." y 1 that made her so memorable. 'A d0 'S life breed, a better fit might be a to remain at the cadet's side. "She is tle most traveled and stately German shepherd, Log on to www.theeagle.com to lives a rather unusual life for that said he would g retriever, which still has a "Nothing against this one mascot we've had so far, b said Rusty Burson, a Reveille a dog. pre- A&M's first mascot seemed to E-2 Commander John regal look, b{rt is more we have now. Rev now is far the busie t.It's kind of like let us know if you think Texas A&M fer the tradition return to its have a sixth sense about the Morello said the cadets in his dependent on people, he said. expert of sorts who co Dr. Kenita Rogers, associate roots with A&M selecting great," Morello said. "We're our duty to ;ive back to her authored Reveille: First Lady should change the breed of its c a loneliest and most homesick com an alread have started "We always joke about it, dean for the College of Veteri- mutt as its next mascot p Y Y of Aggieland. The onlymascot from a collie or keep the nary cadets. g g just thinking in other breeds, what's she's given to us," prob y Medicine and Biomed though he feels the do — researching the traits but the ideal do would be a what would be more suitable. Cook said. "7o make sure she lem: They couldn't raise same of Reveille. ical Sciences, said most dos s . g Carrying a stick in her required for a mascot. The deaf one," Morello said, refer- We have to be real careful has a g known as the first lady of mouth, she'd seek them out cadets in E-2 would g great home with people enough money to buy one. live in homes surrounded by Aggieland" — should remain and insist the prefer es o the loud stadium not s with her out e habit." who love her, low stress and "The first.Rev was a mutt, ■ Baggett column/A9 just a small number of people. a female. Y play fetch another collie simply because es to which Reveille is Several cadets in E-2 said an easy rest c the second was a Shetland But Reveille leads a life that e. with her, he said. it is tradition, though he said exposed. Y f her life. That's A short-haired, more tem- `She was a sweetheart," there doesn't seem to be any Increased training also is Reveille VII has ey ngotten think bad really what vte want for her." shepherd. Reveille III just trying to determine if the antithesis of consistent. perate dog like a Labrador Burson said, recalling stories reason for her to be a pure- an option, he said. Reveille rap. Cook said he feels ■Holly H started it. That was it," Bur- Reveille VIII should be She constantly is exposed to might be better suited to the of how the pooch used to wan bred, he said. already son said, explaining how the another female collie, as new and different people and as y uffmai's e-mail address A&M mascot came to be s environments — inclitdin `•--- ��������•�•�����������••••••••••••••••••••••••••��•••���•••���•..................... y goes through obedi though she simply is misun is holly.huffmaA@theeagle.com. yn- recent tradition has dictated, g .......................... ..... onymous with the collie or if she should be replaced 80,000 whooping fans packed ............• ..•............................................................................................ breed. with a different breed or a into Kyle Field. "My personal opinion has male dog. The group also is "If we're lucky, the cannon never been that the collie is expected to consider bring. is going off all the time.Not all uniquely A&M. Now, I think ing on an adult dog rather dogs are suited to that the collie is a beautiful dog,no than a puppy. lifestyle," Rogers said, point- doubt. I love the collier But in Though the committee has ing to therapy dogs, who she this heat and in College Sta- not yet had its first meeting, said must be gentle and OK tion, Texas, there probably A&M veterinarians and with sudden movements. "An could be better dog choices." cadets who have worked with individual that is ideal is one Texas A&M administrators Reveille already have started that is very adaptable, very announced this month the 7- brainstorming. trainable, has a great attitude year old mascot would end An ideal mascot dog should ., and loves people." her reign in May. A commit- be sociable, fun-loving and The problem lies in the fact tee of students — including happy to be around people, that there is no one breed that members of Corps of Cadets they said. It must have a dis- magically offers all these E-2 mascot company — and traits.Like people,dogs are all vets will spend the semester See REVEILLE, Page AS different. Even puppies from the same litter can end up hav- ing vastly different personali- ties, she said, suggesting the university might be better off selecting an adult dog rather than a puppy. An adult dog could go through different trials before being formally selected to determine its aptitude for serving as a mascot. A&M will need to teach the dog more than to heel and sit, they will need to know how she responds in unpredictable cir- cumstances, she said. Perhaps, she said, Reveille's schedule of public appear- ances should be scaled back. "It's a big job. It's very dif- ferent that anything else most of us would think of doing with a dog," Rogers said. "We just need to make sure the uni- versity is not only proud of our mascot, but also proud of the way we are taking care of her." Importance of image Texas A&M isn't exactly known for being adaptable. Thus, for some Aggies, the idea of a mutt — or any dog other than a collie— donning Reveille's famous maroon. frock seems a little foreign. But from a commercial stand- point, the move could be a marketing opportunity, A&M officials said. Chief Marketing Officer Steve Moore said most college mascots —animals such as tigers, bears and even jay- hawks —have been used much more dramatically in college sports. Other than attending the games, Reveille hasn't been particularly tied to Aggie football. Reveille has been marketed more toward young fans, he said, pointing to the plush stuffed Reveilles for sale in most campus bookstores. "The name Reveille has good name recognition, no question about it, among A&M loyalists," Moore said. "But in general,from a licens- ing standpoint, it's not a big licensing item for us." Reveille sells so little mer- chandise that she doesn't even have her own licensing category,Moore said, estimat- ing the mascot made up less than 5 percent of A&M's licenses. Moore said many organiza- tions plan for brand obsoles- cence. European soccer clubs change jerseys each year with the sole purpose of selling more merchandise. While a change doesn't necessarily guarantee an increase in sales, it does provide the opportunity to sell new and different items, he explained. "What you're seeing cer- tainly is not a backlash against Reveille," Moore said. "If you look at the heritage at Texas A&M and the tradi- tions, oftentimes people will try to go back to the quote- unquote original."