By Anna Kushner / Chief Copy Editor

Man’s best friend, good boys, doggos. These are all phrases often associated with dogs. In a survey conducted by Animal Behavior Associates of over two-thousand people, 74 percent of people preferred dogs to cats. These are some people within the Loy Norrix community and their dogs.

Senior Naomi Verne got her purebred Saint Bernard, Moby, five years ago. After finding out Moby’s parents were both over 200 pounds Verne named Moby after Moby Dick, assuming he would grow to be as large as a whale.

“He also responds to Snobes and ‘Hey, Dingus,’” said Verne.

Moby is very smart and knows how to open doors and turn on the faucet. However Verne notes that he is a “butt” about it. He often turns on the faucet very early in the morning, forcing Verne to get up and turn it off.

“He also opens the gate [outside] and will run away like its a game, and you have to chase after him. But I hate running,” said Verne.

While Moby can frustrate her, Verne loves how expressive and protective he is of her family. Her favorite memory of Moby was his first winter with her family. Moby ran around her yard rolling around and eating snow.

Senior Seth Gruber has had his two Yorkiepoos, Yorkie and poodle mix, for six years. Gruber adopted his dogs from a family friend who was a breeder and named one Porkie, because he was the largest in his litter, and the other Mr. Paws due to the distinct white markings on all four of his paws. Gruber loves both of his dogs equally but does admit he is closer to Porkie.

“Porkie came to me when we first got the dogs.” Gruber continued, “Porkie likes to give huggies. He’s just non-stop energy and hugs.”

Mr. Paws, on the other hand, is the more dominant of the two according to Gruber

“Paws also eats anything he finds. Anything and everything. He’s rather gluttonous,” said Gruber.

Gruber’s favorite memory of his dogs is either when he first got them as a surprise Christmas present or when Porkie jumped off the couch one time and knocked Gruber over.

Senior Maddy Guimond has had her black, lab-husky mix for seven years. Her family adopted him from a shelter, as the last puppy left in his litter, the day before Independence Day and named him Indy for short.

“He’s not like a normal dog. He’s just goofy.” She continued, “He could care less about squirrels, but if there’s a good deer in your backyard he’s after it. He’s also not super into lakes. He’s kind of confused by them.”

Indy also enjoys naps, long car rides and carrots; however, he hates baths and isn’t really a fan of cuddling.

“He’s very food motivated,” said Guimond.

Guimond’s favorite memory of Indy is when she took him to Treat Street for his birthday a couple years ago. Guimond says she bought him an ice cream cone, and he ate it all in one bite. 

History teacher Matthew Porco recently got his dog, Baxter, six months ago from a breeder. Baxter is a Maltipoo, a hypoallergenic breed that is a cross between a Maltese and a toy poodle, and weighs only around six pounds.

“He enjoys dog things. Chasing stuff, barking.” Porco continued, “Whenever we’re cooking, he always comes over and hopes some deliciousness comes his way. He’s very spoiled.”

Porco’s favorite memory of Baxter is when he first brought him home. Porco’s kids had wanted a dog for a long time, and Baxter was a surprise for them.

Senior Jackson Couch has had his seven year old Malamute-husky mix, Chance, for four years. Couch adopted Chance from a shelter after finding out Chance had heart worms and would have been put down if he wasn’t adopted. Couch’s family paid for his treatment and gave him a permanent home.

“We saved his life.” Couch continued, “We named him Chance because he got a second chance at life.” 

While Couch does say Chance is very fat and doesn’t do a lot, he does love when Couch comes home from school and Chance greets him at the door howling.

“Huskies don’t bark, they scream,” said Couch.

Couch also is amused by how gassy Chance can be. “He sometimes farts himself awake,” said Couch.

Senior JT Mitchell has a golden retriever, border collie mix named Lucy. Mitchell got Lucy from a family friend whose dog had had puppies ten years ago.

“Even though she is ten years old, she still acts like a puppy and is always full of energy and ready to play no matter what,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell’s favorite memory of Lucy is the first time Lucy saw snow. He says that she couldn’t get enough of it and didn’t want to come inside when he was done playing because she enjoyed it so much.

“She was running around in it, eating it, and rolling in it. She looked like she was filled with joy,” said Mitchell.

Science teacher Daniel Houvener named his six month old Border Collie Blue Heeler mix after the Hobbit in “Lord of the Rings,” Frodo.

“I wanted a dog I could train from scratch,” said Houvener.

This is what brought him to find Frodo’s breeder on Craigslist. While Houvener hasn’t had Frodo for very long, he does like to take him on hikes and plans to go canoeing and kayaking with him this summer. Houvener’s favorite memory with Frodo was the first time Houvener took him to the dog park. Soon after arriving, Houvener realized that he came on the same day a Husky owners’ club meets.

“These Husky owners were snobs,” said Houvener. However Houvener did enjoy watching Frodo try to play with dogs that are four times his size.