School is back in session and that means thousands of people are walking, biking and driving around campus at all hours of the day.
This also means there are more dogs to see and pet around campus.
The UA Mall is a popular place to find dogs, since it has plenty of grass for pups to play on. Most dog-finding happens during the evenings—after class lets out, students bring their dogs to campus.
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The dogs of UA are as diverse as the students and faculty. Some play sports and some lay in the grass soaking up the sun, but most are walking from one place to another, exploring campus and meeting new friends.
One dog exploring the UA campus was Jax, a 5-year-old yorkie poodle. His owner, Ashley Stracener, took him for a walk while she waited for her fiancé to get out of class.
Jax used to belong to Ashley’s grandmother, but when she couldn’t take care of him anymore, she decided to adopt the dog.
He likes to go on walks and is very photogenic, but it was hard to get him to sit still to take a picture. Jax was so excited about everything.
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“He loves being with his family,” Stracener said. “And every single toy—he loves toys.”
Jax has a hidden talent as well.
“When I say ‘achoo,’ he’ll go get me tissue paper from the bathroom,” Stracener said. He also sings.
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“Everything is special about him,” Stracener said. “He has a good heart. He’s the best dog I’ve ever had.”
Jax seems to be a popular dog name. The American Kennel Club had it in their top-100 boy dog names list last year, so it’s no surprise that another Jax was wandering around UA. This 5-year-old boxer was seen on the UA Mall with his owners.
Zina and Kaveh Namazy, Jax’s owners, like to walk him around the UA campus—Kaveh’s alma mater. They found Jax on Craigslist and adopted him.
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He likes to play with all kinds of toys, but loves his rope toy most of all.
“He’s very friendly, very playful,” Zina said.
Jax likes all forms of transportation, which one time got him into big trouble.
“He loves to go for walks,” Zina said. “He loves car rides, too. He’ll run out of the house and go sit by the car.”
Zina said Jax once pushed a gate open and escaped. A lady had her car door open and Jax jumped right in, eager to go on a car ride. The couple put an ad on Craigslist and they were reunited with Jax soon after.
“He’s very loving, he gets along with everyone,” Namazy said. “But he doesn’t get along with other dogs. Only humans.”
Jax is also best friends with their 3-month-old cat, Elvis.
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