Photo story: Meet the Dogs of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»
Explosive detection K-9, therapy dog and PTSD service dog. These are some of the titles for working canines at the university—and the pups are all pretty cute at their jobs too.
By Rebecca Nordquist
July 20, 2026
Everyone loves dogs. And for that reason alone, we set out to capture the personalities of the dogs of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» through photographs. Each dog has a job and contributes to campus life in their own way.
Winston
Job: Explosive detection K-9 with the University Police Department
Breed: Labrador retriever
Handler: Ofc. Patrick Reichardt
Winston is 100% Lab energy. At 5 years old, he has worked most of his life sniffing for bombs. He and Reichardt undergo yearly recertification and complete 20 hours of training each month. His reward for a job well done? See the next image. Photo by Rachel Crawford
Winston lives for his squeaky ball on a rope. When he detects a bomb odor during training, he immediately gets his ball after being released from his alert. Winston’s job includes searching Viejas Arena and Snapdragon Stadium ahead of events, helping out at San Diego County schools and much more. Photo by Rachel Crawford
Luna
Job: Therapy dog for Counseling & Psychological Services
Breed: Cavapoo
Handler: Cristina Antonucci, licensed psychologist in Counseling & Psychological Services
With about five years on the job, Luna is a student favorite. She slowly took over for Baxter, aka Bax, in 2024 when he retired at age 15. Luna continues his legacy and keeps a busy schedule of appearances, which can be found on . Photo by Rachel Crawford
Six-year-old Luna spends her days interacting with students in classrooms, in therapy sessions and at meet-and-greets around campus. But she needs a break every once in a while too. When her human gets a coffee, she sometimes gets a pup cup. Cleanup in progress. Photo by Rachel Crawford
Kuma
Job: Therapy dog for Counseling & Psychological Services
Breed: Mini Bernedoodle
Handler: Dr. Koko Nishi, clinical psychologist in Counseling & Psychological Services
In March, Kuma graduated from Love on a Leash, a nonprofit organization that certifies therapy dogs. The 19-month-old pup is also an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen, but Nishi says his training is constant. Thankfully he isn’t picky about his reward treats. Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
Kuma, or Kuma Bear as Nishi calls him, is a people person. “He loves attention from the students,” Nishi says. “He’ll walk up to them and turn around so they’ll scratch his back and bottom.” His on-campus visits will be announced on the . Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
Pogi
Job: Therapy dog in training
Breed: Goldendoodle
Handler: Dr. Michael Juan, director of Counseling & Psychological Services
Pogi is doing important work this summer. He’s fine-tuning his skills to become Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»â€™s newest therapy dog. Kuma holds that title right now. For work-life balance, Juan takes him to the beach to run in the waves and to the park to sprint around. “He has an engine with seemingly unlimited energy to play,” Juan says. Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
In 2024, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» donors Brad and Karen Shuman signed a three-year pledge to support Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»â€™s therapy dog services. Their gift helped bring Pogi and Kuma to campus.
Pogi’s name, which translates to “handsome” in Tagalog, is fitting. The 20-month-old goldendoodle, whom Juan describes as loving, engaging and curious, often draws compliments on his coat. “He is a merle, which is a relatively rare genetic trait that results in his very unique color combination,” Juan says. “People regularly stop us on our walks to comment.” Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
Luce
Job: PTSD service dog
Breed: Labrador retriever
Handler: Max Rohn, community athlete with Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»â€™s Adapted Athletics program and medically retired naval combat medic
Luce was born into the service dog program at , a nonprofit that enhances mobility and independence for veterans like Rohn, active-duty service members and first responders with disabilities.
As part of his training, 6-year-old Luce uses positive pressure—nudging Rohn with his nose, leaning up against him or just sitting with him—if he senses Rohn is stressed or anxious. But sometimes Luce needs to use a little more than a nudge. “Now, I’m a big guy, so at night if I’m having a nightmare and I’m thrashing, he has to jump on me to wake me up,” says Rohn, who’s 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
Luce travels everywhere with Rohn, including airplanes. Luce just tucks under the seat in front of him and goes to sleep. When he’s home, he enjoys walks on Coronado’s dog beach and playing fetch. “I like to say he’s perfect,” Rohn says, “and if he’s done anything wrong, it’s my fault.” Photo by Rebecca Nordquist
Caddie
Job: Psychiatric service dog
Breed: Rhodesian ridgeback and pit bull mix
Handler: Donna Ross, associate professor at the College of Education
When 6-year-old Caddie isn’t at work with Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół» associate professor Donna Ross in the classroom, she’s rolling on the grass as her off-duty treat. “She sometimes snores during my class, but I don’t take it personally,” Ross says. Photo by Rachel Crawford
Caddie, a rescue from Ensenada, Mexico, is an experienced traveler. She has attended nine professional science education conferences with Ross. “If I'm out of the office, people ask about her before they ask about me!” Ross says of the love for Caddie at the College of Education. Photo by Rachel Crawford