For some of us at Kingswood Oxford, seeing dogs wandering the halls and napping in teachers’ rooms is the highlight of our day. Callie often lounges in Mr. Hild’s office, and Mr. Baker’s labradoodle, Dobby, has recently made himself home in the House. Now, there is a new addition to a growing roster of campus canines: Director of College Counseling Jami Silver’s adorable white dog, Yuki.
Yuki is a registered emotional support dog and an American German Spitz, a breed closely related to Pomeranians. He was adopted from an organization in Westchester, New York, but originally came from South Korea. The dog’s Korean origin is actually the reason behind his name; “Yuki” is Korean for snow.
Yuki was rescued in January 2021 when he was two years old. “He was found chained to a fence on the highway,” Ms. Silver explained. “And this international rescue organization found him, and I guess I was probably the first person to respond.”
Yuki is evidently fond of his owner. “From the moment we got him, he loved our family,” Ms. Silver reminisced. “He was perfect from the moment we got him.” Ms. Silver mentioned that he often follows her around wherever she goes, and during our interview, Yuki continually wandered around Ms. Silver’s desk.
Ms. Silver got the idea to bring Yuki into school after former Dean of Students Krista Sahrbeck brought in her dog, Bear. The decision has had positive outcomes. Ms. Silver stated that having Yuki around relieves a lot of stress, especially since she doesn’t have to worry about getting home in time to keep him company, and because having him around means she has to get up throughout the day to walk him – a brain break, of sorts.
It seems that the KO community has enjoyed Yuki’s presence. “I’ve seen him trotting around,” sophomore Nidhi Bhat commented. “He’s like a walking fluffball.” In the mornings, when Yuki and Ms. Silver pass through Roberts lobby, a light chorus of “aws” can be heard from students as the white dog waddles by.
The reception of the Yuki seems to be positive in the college counseling offices as well. “I would say overall people have really liked having him,” Ms. Silver commented. “At least the people who come back into the office. There have been kids who have no idea who I am, who will just be like, ‘Can I come see Yuki?’ And that’s cute.”
Around most unfamiliar faces, Yuki is normally pretty relaxed, although at first, he can be shy. “He likes to just kind of hang out,” Ms. Silver said. “He wants to be around people all the time. He hasn’t met a person that he doesn’t like.”
Ms. Silver welcomes anyone to drop by her office in college counseling and say hi to Yuki. “Anybody is welcome to come visit,” she invited. For any dog lovers on campus, I would say meeting Yuki is well worth a detour.
