Many students are familiar with the fish in a tank common in dorm rooms, but fewer are probably aware of the dogs and cats that live on Furman’s campus. Although housing prohibits students from owning any pet they would like, the university does allow for approved service animals. Some students bring pets to campus despite housing policies, and some staff simply have pets that hang around. The end result is that quite a few animals live among students, staff, and faculty at Furman.
Mauldin the service-dog is a four-year-old German shepherd who lives with freshman Ben Sunderman in Townes. His main job is to pull Sunderman’s wheelchair whenever Sunderman needs to get somewhere especially quickly, like a class he’s running late for. As he used to work with autistic children, sometimes Mauldin “requires a firmer hand,” Sunderman said.
Sunderman said Mauldin is “far more disciplined and experienced than your average house dog and is more than capable of working as a service dog.”
“Several people have told me that they didn’t even realize he was there until the end of class when he stood up to stretch,” Sunderman added.
Mauldin is very loyal and concentrated on doing his job, but he’s also a great companion for long hours of studying: he is "very comforting whenever I’m feeling stressed the days before a test,” Sunderman said.
Mauldin also loves to play frisbee and is a bold swimmer. Throw a frisbee as far as you can and you would still do well to put your money on Mauldin catching it. Because of his particular job, its best not to approach Mauldin if he’s wearing his orange vest, but when Mauldin gets off his shift at 9:30 p.m. each evening, people are welcome to approach Mauldin, who Sunderman said is very friendly.
Tink, the gray cat who watches over the Furman farm, belongs to farm manager Bruce Adams. Over the years, he has become a fixture of the farm, doubling as both a therapy pet and a diligent hunter of chipmunks. Assistant farm manager Elisabeth Schautke said it’s not uncommon for student volunteers to ask, “Can I take Tink on a walk?” and then carry him around, confiding in the cat for comfort. The next moment, Tink might be off tracking down yet another small rodent.
Schautke said that in one instance, a chipmunk actually attacked a student’s hand, and Tink ceaselessly chased it. Tink is also reportedly very photogenic: once, when The Paladin sent a staff member to photograph the Farm’s new food stand, Tink actually managed to photobomb most of the pictures. Every day Tink goes to sleep in the Shi Center basement at 5:30 p.m. on the dot.
Finally, there’s Fen, a Siberian husky who has lived with junior Will Bacharach in North Village since the beginning of the semester. Last May, Bacharach rescued Fen from Greenville County Animal Care. Bacharach said Fen “is best described as having a calm and even temperament while also being playful and nice.”
“Fen is an incredibly smart dog that loves people, playing games, and socializing,” Bacharach added.
One of Fen’s most impressive tricks is that he understands “cuddle” as a command.