At Lees-McRae College there is a very unique and fun opportunity — a pet friendly campus! Not many campuses offer a place where pets are not only welcome in the classrooms, but also in some residence halls as well! Because there are so many amazing pets on our campus, I’ve chosen to spotlight a few and tell their stories.
And without further ado, our pet for this week is Bully the bulldog! Bully is owned by Caroline Hart, a staff member of Lees-McRae, and has been living with the Hart family since she was a puppy. Bully, of course, is no average dog. From the time she was little she was famous.
While working at Barton College in Wilson, NC, Caroline was asked if her family would be willing to serve as a foster family for the College’s new mascot. Baby Bully was only 8 weeks old when she came to Barton College. After a couple of months living with another family, Bully came to live with the Harts. Caroline said, “We were responsible for taking her to athletic events and special functions. For more than a year, Bully was used on all the marketing material for Barton College.” When Caroline’s family made the decision to move to Lees-McRae, they immediately contacted Barton’s student development office so that they could find a new home for Bully. After two weeks of waiting, someone got back with the Harts and told them that it would not be fair to uproot Bully from the loving home that she had had for 2 years. So, they were asked if they would like to keep her. Caroline said, “We were more than happy to!”
At home Bully is a sweet, relaxed, and flexible dog. “Nothing gets her upset!” She loves getting her belly rubbed, eating, napping, and being in the spotlight. And during this year’s fall musical, Legally Blonde, she got no less than that!!! Bully played Rufus,the dog taken by Paulette’s ex-boyfriend.
For Lees-McRae’s performance Paulette was played by Schuyler Carson who got to work with Bully first hand during the show. Schuyler said, “She was just too sweet! She met no strangers and would come to anyone. Everyone in the cast loved her, even those who didn’t consider themselves dog people.”
She became a true actress on opening night. During the performances, Bully got no lack of attention. As she “mooned” everyone coming onto the stage she got laughs and “awwws” from the crowd. She would stick her head out of the prop trailer wanting to come out, but having to wait on her next scene. Once she was released, she came to the perfect spot on stage, right to Schuyler, and wagged her cute butt. She even opted to lay on her back and get belly rubs the last night of the show. Once she walked off stage, she would get a treat and greeting from all the cast members. She was truly part of the cast, and Schuyler says she will be greatly missed.
Bully is just one of the many adorable pets that visit the campus. Be sure to check back next week to find out who is the next “Featured Creature” for Lees-McRae!
Cheers,
Amanda
Bully was great, so well behaved backstage. However, she did not play Bruiser, the name that is in the article, but she played Rufus, Paulette’s beloved dog. Bruiser, Elle’s dog, was played by another wonderful dog named LaLa, who I had the pleasure of keeping at my apartment for the run of the show. They both did a wonderful job in the show, and thank you for featuring Bully, she deserves the spotlight.
Thanks for letting me know! I’ll fix that as soon as I can.