UW News

November 20, 2008

Name that dog, part two

The UW launched a second and final round of online voting this week for the permanent name for its live dog mascot.

Nearly 9,000 votes were cast in the initial contest that featured eight finalists. When only 100 votes separated the top three choices, the University decided to launch a second round of voting with the top three names – Dubs, Spirit and Sundodger.

By clicking on http://gohuskies.cstv.com/genrel/111808aaa.html between now and Dec. 1, fans can vote for their favorite among the three finalists.

Once the new dog has been selected, the committee will introduce it to the UW community and announce the official name.

The current mascot, Whitepaw’s Arlut Spirit of Gold Dust (“Spirit”) is the 10th Alaskan Malamute to serve as the Husky mascot. He leads the team out of the tunnel before every home football game and wanders the sidelines during each contest. The mascot also makes various appearances on behalf of the University and serves as a lasting image of the UW throughout the Northwest and the nation.

Last spring, the school began making plans for Spirit’s retirement at the conclusion of the 2008 football season. Prior to the Sept. 6 home football game against BYU, Spirit suffered a shoulder injury and, since that time, has been unable to attend UW games.