The Bearcats? No, the bear-dogs of Willamette

Whether in rain or shine, with one loop around Willamette's mile-long campus, you will likely find at least one campus-affiliated dog. These dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Here are just a few that came across mine and Collegian photographer Patricia Krepel’s path:

All photos by Patricia Krepel. Captions by Aubrey Tuttle.

Blue, a spry 12-year-old, loves to hike and sit on the back of Assistant Director of Student Engagement & Leadership Sarah Schneider’s couch. She is well renowned for her snoring, affectionately called the “truffle pig” by her people.

Blaze is Blue’s 10-year-old lifelong companion. His favorite thing to do is lie on his person’s bed and never on the floor. He also enjoys a good hike.

Bruno is a German shepherd and husky mix who can be found in the exercise science department alongside professor Michael Lockard. Bruno loves to start his morning with a routine attempt to catch the light at the end of the laser pointer.

Hank is a bulldog and American Staffordshire terrier mix who loves attention. His favorite thing to do around campus is meet new people on walks with his human, Lisa Holiday, the associate dean of students & director of Student Engagement & Leadership.

Nacho is a young Frenchie and Boston terrier mix who loves to chase squirrels and go in the Mill Stream. This academic weapon likes to go to class with his person, Janessa Young-Flores (’26), and meet new people to cool down from all of the exciting outdoor Willamette activities.

Beamer here is a well-traveled lab heeler mix. Now 15 years old, he has lived in Hawaii, New Mexico, Kentucky, Colorado and Oregon with Justin Leibowitz, the assistant dean for Community Care and Inclusion. His favorite activity is to meet the students.

Roulez, or Rou, is a 7-year-old border collie and blue heeler mix who loves to come to work with chemistry laboratory and stockroom assistant Loxley Battle. Outside of his workaholic tendencies, Rou loves to go on runs, fetch and play with whatever squeaky toy is his current victim.

Neil, also known famously by his Instagram handle: neil.thecorgi, is a 4-year-old corgi that spends his days in the chemistry department. His favorite places on campus are those where he can find treats — on walks, he will often lead his person, professor of chemistry Karen Holman, to the print center and Accessible Education Services where he has made lifelong friends.

Ellie is a German shepherd mix who loves sticks and rocks. Her person, Kyrsten Smith (’26) gave her a squirrel toy so when she sees the squirrels on campus she is captivated.

Pete has been roaming Willamette for around 12 years, working as Grounds Manager Jim Andersen’s right-hand man. He is an English lab who loves taking charge and walking himself, his leash in his jaw as depicted above.

Pingo is a 4-year-old Australian shepherd who loves golf carts. He often finds himself very distracted when one rolls on past, but does his best to keep on task as a working dog assisting the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Ruth Feingold.

Kiwi, also an Australian shepherd, is Pingo’s 10-month-old companion who loves to help him chase squirrels. While not as distracted by golf carts, she enjoys being petted by students and bouncing around the quad.

Lorca, named after the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, is a 3-year-old golden retriever currently working in the Digital Learning Center with her human, Monica Major, an instructional designer currently assisting the transition to Canvas learning management systems. She loves fishing for rocks in streams and relocating them along the bank.

Miles is a 4-year-old rescue who loves sunbathing and taking in a beautiful Oregon day. His favorite activity on campus is to scope out the nutria.