As you wander around campus, you may come across a very large, very friendly, and very fluffy creature named Auggie. He is usually accompanied by his sidekick, Dr. Boudreau. Dr. Boudreau is the 11th grade English teacher at Grier, Director of the Writing Center, and supervisor of our very own newspaper, The Cricket. She is also the proud dog mom to the much beloved Auggie.
Auggie is a Standard Goldendoodle, a crossbreed between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle.
“I got Auggie four and a half years ago now,” Dr. Boudreau said. Auggie was only a few weeks old when she got him, and she reminisces on how she used to hold him in her arms. “He was just a tiny one,” Dr. Boudreau said.
Dr. Boudreau had cats when she was growing up. Every Christmas as a child, she would ask for a dog, making it the first thing on her Christmas list. “My parents never got me one. They got me dog stuffed animals, dog robots even, but never an actual dog,” Dr. Boudreau said. “So, I finally got my first one when I grew up.”
Auggie’s name has a unique backstory. Auggie’s full name is Augustus Bernard Boudreau. Dr. Boudreau explained that as a teenager, she wanted to name her pets after different time periods, starting with Augustus Caesar from the Roman times. While the reason stopped being important to her years ago, she couldn’t get the name Auggie out of her head.
Auggie is a large presence on campus, not just because of his size but also because you can see him walking around the Grier paths three to four times throughout the day. Dr. Boudreau explained that he is a big dog and very energetic. “We walk a lot, and then he plays with kids a lot in my backyard.” Auggie gets bored easily, so Dr. Boudreau also teaches him tricks. He can sit, lay down, crawl, speak, and spin. Dr. Boudreau said she is also working on teaching him to bow and sit under her legs if out in public. “If I’m sitting down, he can go under my legs so he’s sitting safely there,” she said.
The students at Grier can also help in Auggie’s training. “A lot of [the students] help train him with me. So instead of letting him jump on them, they’ll make him sit and do tricks before they pet him, which is so good for his training,” Dr. Boudreau said. “The more that can happen, the better.”
Auggie’s favorite treats are fruits and vegetables. “He’s obsessed with blueberries,” Dr. Boudreau said. “Any type of berry or melon. He loves peanut butter.” On the other hand, Auggie’s favorite toy changes all the time. But right now, Dr. Boudreau thinks his favorite toy is a giant fuzzy sloth.
Auggie loves living on campus and interacting with all of the students. “He has kids running up to him,” Dr. Boudreau said. “It will sometimes take twice the amount of time to do a walk because he gets to say hi to everyone.” They don’t mind stopping as many times as necessary though. “He loves being around people,” Dr. Boudreau said.
Auggie’s love of people can sometimes lead to a lot of jumping and twirls. “He loves people so much, and he wants to say hi. He gets so excited,” Dr. Boudeau explained. “He tries to be on best behavior whenever he can.”
If you’re walking around campus and see a curly haired dog, make sure to stop by. “I want students to come say hi to him whenever they can and whenever they want to,” Dr. Boudreau said. Auggie will always be happy to see you!
