Everyone knows that Conrad the Blue Jay is the official mascot of Elizabethtown College, but perhaps, the unofficial one is Truman the Therapy Doodle. He has become a staple on the campus with his visits and own official merchandise. During the 2021 Homecoming Parade, Truman was the last in the line of floats because of how popular he is. Current students, families and alumni alike all screamed his name when he walked by them. Admissions has shared that people have gone to the College because of Truman. Committed students will decorate their locker with Etown memorabilia and in the middle will be a picture of Truman.
The question that some people ask is how did Truman achieve this level of fame on campus?

What some may not be aware of is that Truman is actually the pet of Communications faculty member, Andy Williams. He is often the one who totes Truman around campus and especially in the Communications department.

“He’s been in Comm[unications] for eight years, “ Williams said, “and he slept through all of his classes, so that’s why he’s still in Comm[unnications].”

Williams’s family had raised seven labs to become service dogs before Williams’s wife requested a dog that did not shed as much. As a result, they received a labradoodle, who would be named Truman. Inside, Truman was very laid back and calm, perfect for a service dog. Outside, however, he was too fond of squirrels and would chase after them which is not ideal for a service dog. Williams’s trainer then suggested that the family keep him and raise him as a therapy dog to which they happily obliged too.

“They all have a purpose,” Williams said, “and we don’t always know what their purpose is.”

Truman is not just a show dog. He is trained through a local organization, KPets, for his therapy certification which gets renewed every three years. He travels to elementary schools and nursing homes to help there. Recently, he has been trained in Crisis Response, so if a natural disaster happens, he can go and help. Two years ago, he travelled to a 9/11 memorial to represent the service dogs that were lost.

“It just blows me away because he’s our pet, but he touches so many people,” Williams said.

Since he was eight weeks old, Truman has been coming to the Etown campus. He loves to visit with the students, and during the stay-at-home order that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic, Truman became very needy because he could not come to the campus.

The marketing craze at the college bookstore and other places on campus started when Williams’s daughter put an Etown ski hat on Truman. As a therapy dog, he tolerated the hat long enough for her to snap a picture. Williams then sent the photo to the bookstore. Since they were just beginning their social media presence, they asked if they could post the photo on their Instagram which Williams agreed too.

“It got a lot of attention,” Williams said, “so she asked if we could try other stuff.”

Overall, Williams is quite happy to see the hype and love surrounding Truman. It seems that nearly everyone who has been on the Etown campus for the past eight years has some story surrounding Truman.

“I want everyone to enjoy him as much as we do,” Williams said.

Next time Truman is on campus, be sure to give him some love!