The Other Hounds of Moravian University:
Teddy Soba
Meet Teddy Soba, pup of Steve Soba, vice president of enrollment management, and Melissa Labrie, associate director of financial aid. This is the first in a series introducing the canines of Moravian University. The College has a dog-friendly policy, allowing faculty and staff to bring their dogs to the office.
My name is Teddy Soba, and I was born on May 23, 2014, right here in the Keystone State. Humans keep referring to me as a Golden Retriever, and I really don't know what that means. Maybe it’s because my coat is golden and I love to go get things--tennis balls, socks, slippers, sticks, snowballs, mulch…. The funny part—I don't always like to bring those things back.
Why Teddy?
My parents grew up in the Boston-area and love the hometown teams, so they say that I was named after Red Sox hall-of-famer Ted Williams. My dad often jokes that he named me after his favorite serial killer Ted Bundy. Of course he's joking...right? If you ask me, I think they named me Teddy because I looked like a teddy bear when they adopted me.
What’s a typical day at home like?
Steve and Melissa are pretty cool. It's a good relationship which is why I've never done any damage when I’m home alone. I just chill out. Sometimes I nap. Sometimes I hang out in the guest bedroom on the bed and watch out the window. My favorite thing to look at are the birds flying by, but then I just can't wait for mom and dad to get home so I can go outside, too.
What are your favorite activities?
I LOVE to swim. Sometimes in the summer we get invited to the home of a friend who has a pool and I get to swim. I’ll come out dripping wet, sidle up to the driest person on the patio, and shake, shake, shake—it’s hysterical. The humans laugh. They think it is pure coincidence that I soak the only person wearing clothes. Yeah, let them go on believing that one!
What’s your favorite season?
I prefer winter to summer. Snow is awesome, too. During the blizzard in January, I was going nuts diving in and out of the snow banks. A bunch of little snowballs got stuck in my belly fur and then melted off when I went inside. It was funny watching mom and dad walk around the house in their socks picking up pieces of snow and stepping in little pools of water—hee, hee, hee.
Who are your good friends?
When we head back to Massachusetts to visit my father's family, his sister, Lisa, has a coon-hound mix named Lincoln. He's a little older than I and a nice guy. He lets me play with all of his toys. I take one out at a time and spread them out all over the living room floor. The humans find it funny. You know what I find funny? Watching them walk around at the end of the night, picking them up and placing them back in the toy basket. I'd do it, but no one has ever asked. By the way, are you noticing a theme here in my relationship with humans?
What do you like about coming to Moravian University?
President Grigsby, has a very cool dog named Mo. I met Mo when I was only weeks old. He’s always very good to me. He's so tall and lean. I heard he used to race and was really good at it. Not me, man. I go as far as the tennis ball that someone throws.
I think it was a brilliant idea on President Grigsby’s part to make Moravian University dog-friendly because it means I get to go to work with mom and dad and hang around with students. They're called Hounds—short for Greyhounds. I love that. And one thing I know first-hand—Hounds give a great belly rub and ear scratch. I've been to baseball and softball games. I'm in the Blue & Grey tent at football games. I've sledded behind the Hub during Winter Fest. Moravian University is an awesome place to be a dog.
Okay, that's enough for now. I'm tired and need to go take a nap--again. Who knows? Maybe there'll be a treat coming my way sometime soon.