AMANDA DEDIE
Staff Writer
An official purebred title is a name that a dog breeder gives to their new puppies based on where they were bred and other information. Usually, you can learn a lot by knowing a dog’s purebred title. So what, then, can you infer about a dog officially named Winifred Jade Hatteras Girl of His Precious Paws of Olde Forest?
Or better yet, what can you learn from the dog’s more fondly known name: Freddie?
Freddie is a 7-month-old Biewer Terrier from Greensboro, North Carolina. She is family to President Virginia Horvath and honorary campus mascot, as well as a friend to all of the Fredonia community.
Weighing in at around seven lbs., she has tri-colored markings of black, white and brown. Her hair is only a few inches long but can grow to the floor, and she has a tail curled like the handle of a teapot — matching the teapot collection in President Horvath’s sitting room. She also has hair, not fur, so if you’re allergic to dog fur, no worries — you can still partake in the campus-wide love for Freddie.
Freddie is an extremely smart puppy for only being seven months old. Her treats are sometimes put into a plastic puzzle, where there are compartments hidden under blocks that Freddie has to move with her mouth. She then eats the food, turns the top part of the puzzle with her nose to get to more hidden compartments and reveals more treats!
“I’ve never had a dog that could do that kind of thing before,” said Horvath. “When you think of how you teach a dog … how do you teach a dog what to do? But she knows what to do. She figured all this out.”
When she’s not spending her time frolicking around campus with her mom, Freddie likes to chew (especially on antique furniture), watch birds and squirrels, have her belly rubbed and play with her puzzles.
Not even a year old, there’s so many new things for a puppy to discover. For example, this is Freddie’s first time experiencing the seasonal changes. In the summer, she enjoys the warm weather. In the fall, Freddie likes to chase every single leaf that blows across her path. This past winter, especially during the one week snowstorm, Freddie discovered how much she likes to play in the snow. Is there anything this dog doesn’t like?
“She’s very sweet. She’s calm. She’s also very curious about things. She likes people, which is good,” said Horvath. “She is just a sweet little girl.”
Even then, Freddie likes to get into her fair share of trouble. According to Horvath, Freddie likes to turn over the area rugs in the kitchen to chew the backs off of them. She also likes to play “Find the Puppy,” a game which includes running into a room, having her mom come after her, then running out and into a different area of the house. This game is one of Freddie’s favorites, especially when it’s bedtime.
But what does Freddie like the most? Other than her mom, of course, Freddie absolutely loves the people of Fredonia.
“This is the only home she’s ever known,” said Horvath. “She likes seeing the number of people that we see here. Students are very nice to her. She seems comfortable with students, happy with students. She likes being held. She likes when students come over to the house. That’s what she really likes about Fredonia and about this home.”