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Campus Connection - Dog Day 2007

Dog Day

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Inspired by Robert Francis’ poem "The Hound," Dr. Jeannie Zeck’s students in her Introduction to Poetry and Short Fiction class were delighted to host Dog Day on Friday, December 7, 2007. Dr. Zeck invited the students to bring their pups to class in MacMurray Hall room 29 where the class spent the hour reading and analyzing dog poetry -- that is, poems by and about dogs from the anthology, Unleashed: Poems by Writers’ Dogs, edited by Amy Hempel and Jim Shepard.

Inspired by Robert Francis’ poem "The Hound," Dr. Jeannie Zeck’s students in her Introduction to Poetry and Short Fiction class were delighted to host Dog Day on Friday, December 7, 2007. Dr. Zeck invited the students to bring their pups to class in MacMurray Hall room 29 where the class spent the hour reading and analyzing dog poetry -- that is, poems by and about dogs from the anthology, Unleashed: Poems by Writers’ Dogs, edited by Amy Hempel and Jim Shepard.

Students were welcome to attend with or without a canine companion. Attendance was optional since some people are allergic to dogs and others may be uneasy around canine creatures. In all, fourteen out of twenty-three students participated. Anna Herold, an English and Psychology major, brought Princess Fluffy, the largest of the dog guests. Princess is a year-old puppy who is a mix of St. Bernard, lab, rotweiler, and chow. Anna claims that, in spite of her size, Princess Fluffy is a lover and not a fighter who fears thunder, sirens, lightning, and water. Art major Andrea White brought her Beagle-terrier mix, Lola. Normally a howler, this three year old canine especially enjoyed the small-group discussion where she used her inside voice to analyze poetry. At home Lola enjoys playing with the family cat, Shotzie, and sleeping under the covers with her mom.

The youngest and cuddliest attendee was Kit, a three-month-old Collie-Golden-retriever-black-Labrador mix. She spent the hour snuggling in Nancy Having’s lap. Kit was up for adoption, and the students easily fell in love with her. Nancy is a Nursing major and commented, “This was an awesome day that I really enjoyed.” Don Hanley, a Criminal Justice major and English minor, brought his sister’s dog, a six-year-old Boston Terrier named R.V.D. (after the wrestler on W.W.E. Rod Van Dam). Don remarked, "That is the stupidest name for a dog I ever heard."

Another purebred beast was Loki, a male Chihuahua going on five years old. Loki may be all dog, but he claimed he only eats human food. He was escorted to Dog Day by his favorite human, Danyelle Hooks, a Psychology major at MacMurray. Danyelle and Loki made a good team; they contributed a significant insight during the discussion of a poem written by Karen Shepard’s dog Birch. They asserted that the poem had logopoeia, a logical structure leading to an inevitable conclusion. Here is Birch’s poem:

Winning the awards for oldest and best-behaved dog guest was Buddy, an exceedingly handsome stuffed terrier. Chris Fouts, Buddy’s owner and trainer, explained that he and his companion are both 21 years old. Buddy was baffled by all the activity in the classroom and kept watch just in case things got out of hand---or paw.

Dog Day was such a successful event that it may become an annual occurrence at MacMurray College.

Photos and story by Dr. Jeannie Zeck

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