Handsome Dan Is Chairman of Board
Yale Mascot A Canine Ambassador
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – When dog owners misbehave, it’s their pets that usually pay the price, leaving millions of dogs in adoption centers each year with little chance to find a new home and family. One popular Yale icon hopes that he can put an end to this.
While Handsome Dan is well-known for his presence on the field as Yale’s famous mascot, the bulldog also strives to be an active member of his community outside the realm of athletics. One deeply personal area involves his fellow canine friends and cousins who, through no fault of their own, are relinquished due to what is deemed their “unacceptable behavior.”
This behavior is formed as a result of the owner’s personality and influence on them over time, which in some cases, can lead to a pet’s poor behavior. As a result, many dogs are put up for adoption after only a short time with their new families, and a large percentage of them are unfortunately put down if they are unable to find a new home. Yale’s own Handsome Dan aims to fix this, with some help of course.
Recently, the Center for Canine Behavior Studies (CCBS) reached out to Handsome Dan, along with his owner, Chris Getman ‘64, to help solve this problem and invited him to become the Chairman of the Board of Canine Ambassadors, which the dog gladly accepted. The Center’s Executive Director Chris Janelli decided that Handsome Dan is one of Connecticut’s most well-known and beloved icons, so it was a clear decision to offer him this role.
Handsome Dan, also known as “Sherman,” is Yale’s 17th official mascot in a long tradition that dates to 1889 when Yale was the first university to use a mascot. Sherman has been actively involved with Yale and the community since 2007 and relishes helping out wherever he can.
By accepting this position, Handsome Dan joins some of the world’s most renowned animal behaviorists in pursuit to end unnecessary canine euthanasia. CCBS’s inaugural Animal Ownership Interaction Study is currently the main project at hand. The goal of this study is to research the influence dog owners have on their pets and then educate owners to modify their interaction with their dogs to create a positive relationship that will allow more pets to have a safe and secure home. Handsome Dan and the Board of Canine Ambassadors will be working nonstop in the upcoming months to spread the word about CCBS’s mission and study across the state.
CCBS is part of The Simon Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, as well as one of Connecticut’s largest no kill animal rescue and adoption centers that helps over 500 animals find a home each year.
If anyone wishes to get involved, the Center for Canine Behavior Studies - www.centerforcaninebehaviorstudies.org - is headquartered in Salisbury, Conn. and can provide more information. The CCBS is currently looking to enroll thousands of dogs for its study by August 2016, so any help will benefit.
Filed by, Nick Jallat, Yale Sports Publicity Intern
