Bulldog Bites

News and Views from the University of Redlands

Addie’s “paw-some” first birthday!

U of R mascot Addie turns one on April 5. Let the celebrations begin! (Photo by Coco McKown '04, '10)

It’s hard to believe, but our little girl is growing up! 

This week, Addie, the University of Redlands’ first female mascot, is celebrating her first birthday. For this special occasion, I wanted to share some fun facts that you might not know about our furry friend:

  • I hate to say it, but she’s pretty high-maintenance! Her grooming schedule is intense: bathing every two weeks (with waterless deodorized baths two to three times a week in between), wiping her face folds daily, “buttering” her nose to keep it from drying out, and nail clipping twice a month. Looking as good as she does doesn’t just happen by itself! Plus, she wants to impress a certain male bulldog mascot at another university…
  • She’s full of unexpected sounds! She snores all the time (which I know firsthand because she sleeps with me every night), purrs like a kitten, and is a very noisy eater!
  • She’s pretty socially conscious—not surprising, her platform is dedicated to rescue animal adoptions! We are launching an annual adoption event in the beginning of April in honor of her birthday (see details below).
  • She’s not cheap! We appreciate the generous support of PAWS, who sponsors her monthly kibble, but treats, leashes, toys, and other expenses add up (the biggest line item being travel costs to ensure she can be at University events throughout Southern California). We recently established a Mascot Fund for Addie’s fans to support her throughout the year.
  • Her favorite pastimes are terrorizing her sister, Lily, playing tug-of-war, and looking for snacks. She also enjoys crunching plastic water bottles and playing fetch with a stick. She also loves watching TV shows and movies featuring animals—anything from Animal Planet to The Secret Life of Pets.

To commemorate our canine queen, we have planned a special birthday party on Thursday, April 5 from 12–1 p.m. in the Commons on the main University campus, followed by a rescue adoption event on Saturday, April 7 from 2–5 p.m. near the Orton fire pit. 

Throughout the week, we also will be giving away Addie merchandise on social media (you can catch us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter using the handle @urmascot). Due to “pup-ular” demand, we now have Addie merchandise available for purchase on her webpage, including PopSockets and socks.

Many thanks to all of you who have welcomed Addie over the past year—it has been a real treat for both of us to be such a special part of our campus community!

To request Addie’s autograph, schedule an appearance at an upcoming event, and much more, visit www.redlands.edu/adelaide