\nFreshman Connor Transue said one of Toaster\u2019s main giveaways is the jingle of his collar in rhythm with his bouncy walk. When Transue heard Toaster\u2019s bells for the first time this fall, he opened his doors and the wiener dog bound into his arms. <\/p>\n
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Joe Zhao | Video Editor <\/p>\n
Freshman Connor Transue and Resident Advisor Ellen Clark bond with Clark\u2019s dog in a Lawrinson Hall lounge. <\/p>\n
Toaster loves to run into rooms with open doors, laundry baskets and sometimes even an elevator. At the first floor meeting, Clark let him get acquainted with the residents. The elevator dinged in the middle, but some Lawrinson residents clicked all the buttons on the elevator of the 22-floor building because they thought it was funny. <\/p>\n
Toaster ran to see who was there, but the elevator was empty. He waddled in and was transported down a floor by himself. Leaving the elevator, he encountered another RA\u2019s floor meeting. Clark halted the meeting for 10 minutes before returning with Toaster. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany times he\u2019s in the lounge, and so it seems like sometimes, the elevator doors will open up and just swarms of people and all the different floors will just come in to say hi,\u201d Transue said of Toaster. <\/p>\n
While Toaster might sometimes float between floors, many flock to Clark\u2019s floor just to see him. Often people tell Transue they see the dachshund around all the time. He then gets to tell them he\u2019s on his floor and invites them over. <\/p>\n
For Clark, Toaster breaks the ice and creates a way for her to interact with residents. Transue said his friends on other floors barely see their RA\u2019s, but Clark regularly gets knocks on her door from him and others. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like sometimes, as an RA, you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh my God. Like, what\u2019s wrong?\u2019\u201d Clark said. \u201cBut for me the first reaction is \u2018They want to see the ween.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Transue and his friends love to hang out on their floor with Toaster. The dog joined them to watch the presidential debate on Sept. 10 and sat with them as they wrote their first college essays. <\/p>\n
Brielle Brzytwa, a freshman on Clark\u2019s floor, works at Trader Joe\u2019s. She secretly asked Clark what Toaster\u2019s favorite treats were. Brzytwa returned from work soon after with a box of peanut butter dog treats, which Clark now has sitting on her dorm\u2019s dresser. <\/p>\n\u201c(Toaster) just brightens up my day,\u201d Brzytwa said. \u201cSo I thought I\u2019d brighten up his.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Joe Zhao | Video Editor <\/p>\n
Ellen Clark watches as her dog parades around Lawrinson Hall. <\/p>\n
Last fall, Clark had nearly taken a semester off. Her life felt \u201cgloomy\u201d \u2014 she was exhausted and overwhelmed. Over Thanksgiving and spring break, Clark was forced to stay because of the cost of travel, with her family being in Idaho. <\/p>\n
Before Clark made the decision, her mother \u2014 Dig Chrismer \u2014 and therapist agreed that she should consider getting an emotional support animal. <\/p>\n
Clark looked into this idea and decided on two guidelines \u2014 someone social and small. At home, she has big dogs and loves them. However, traveling back to Idaho with Toaster and living in the dorm, she preferred a small dog. <\/p>\n
Instagram knew she was looking. She would see dachshunds while scrolling on Reels. It just worked out that one of her brother\u2019s friends had a litter of dachshunds. While Clark was still at school, her brother, along with Chrismer, visited his friend\u2019s farm to choose a dog. <\/p>\n
Most of the puppies were quiet and gave Chrismer a side eye. But not Toaster, then known as \u201cthe gray one.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I picked him up, he gave me that side eye, but then started licking my face nonstop,\u201d Chrismer said. \u201cHe\u2019s the one.\u201d <\/p>\n
When Clark returned home for winter break last year, they picked him up. <\/p>\n
Since she\u2019d never met Toaster, she questioned whether he liked her. But she carried him all the way home as he fell asleep in her arms. <\/p>\n
Clark knew she wanted to name \u201cthe gray one\u201d something humorous and cute. One of her friends had a dog named Spatula, and she wanted to replicate it. Because of the dachshund\u2019s silly personality, they went for playful names of inanimate objects.<\/p>\n
They tried Concrete, among other names, before reaching Toaster. Toaster came with an abundance of nicknames, too. Her mom tried to convince her out of the name, until it finally grew on her. <\/p>\n
Toaster\u2019s qualities helped Clark put her life into context. She is a lot more patient, forgiving and social. She\u2019s mended bridges with people because of how much her dachshund loved them. <\/p>\n
\u201cOh, if my dog\u2019s not concerned, like, is it really that serious?\u201d Clark said. <\/p>\n
As her mother, Chrismer appreciates SU allowing Clark to have Toaster in her dorm. There are times where she knows Clark is stressed but feels reassured that Toaster is there. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe Zhao | Video Editor <\/p>\nSyracuse University students sit and pet Ellen Clark\u2019s dog, Toaster, as she walks by. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe can divert that energy to the dog because he either needs a walk or he needs attention, or she can just sit down and rest with him and cuddle him,\u201d Chrismer said. \u201cHe is there for her 100%. It is a huge relief.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Clark brought him to school, Toaster was surprisingly good in a dorm. He may bark when Clark is gone for a long time or if he wants something, yet her residents don\u2019t mind it. They like to know that he\u2019s there. He did pull up some carpet that was sticking out in her dorm \u2014 but Clark had facilities fix that right away. <\/p>\n
Clark took Toaster to training classes during his first semester on campus. He graduated later that year and became very socialized by living in a dorm. <\/p>\n
Because Toaster\u2019s a \u201cdorm dog,\u201d he adores the attention. He never barks at someone unless he wants to play. While some dogs are food motivated, Toaster is people motivated. Sometimes when Clark takes Toaster out on the Lawrinson courtyard, students in the dorm will yell and ask her if that\u2019s Toaster. <\/p>\n
Clark doesn\u2019t know what she will do when Toaster isn\u2019t living in a dorm building and surrounded by residents year-round. She will have to search for another large group of people when she graduates at the end of this spring. <\/p>\n
Brzytwa and Toaster have the same birthday, Oct. 6, and they will be celebrating together in the Lawrinson penthouse. Even people who walked by Toaster on the Einhorn Family Walk said he looked all grown up. One year later, with one year left, Toaster is a campus celebrity. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey suit each other really well, and they each bring something to the table as our RAs,\u201d Brzytwa said of Toaster and Clark. \u201cToast is watchdog.\u201d <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPublished on September 19, 2024 at 1:50 am<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
Contact Rosina: [email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n
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