Your questions,
answered by Harvard
What am I
Are you real?
Yes. 100% real fluffy puppy.
Are you a polar bear?
Nope. I'm not a lion either, or a teddy bear.
Are you a husky?
I am a Samoyed. UConn's mascot is a husky, but the mascot used to look like a samoyed until just recently, so I understand the confusion.
What is a Samoyed?
You can learn all about the Samoyed breed by watching ME in Animal Planet's Dogs 101 episode!
(yes, I am really in this episode!)
You can also read more about Samoyeds on the AKC website.
Hangout with Harvard
Can I meet you?
I hope so! If you are in the city of Boston, there's a good chance you'll run in to me while on a walk at some point, especially if you hang out in the Boston Public Garden (my favorite place!)
You can keep up with all my daily adventures by following along on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter!
Can you visit my Boston-area company?
I would love to! Fill out this form to arrange a pet therapy visit from me!
My Name
How did you get your name?
I am named after Harvard University, because I'm wicked smaht.
'Harvard Dangerfield' is my stage name, and if I had to guess, I think it probably came about by associating Harvard with Harvey, Harvey with the rock band name Harvey Danger, Harvey Danger with Rodney Dangerfield, and Rodney Dangerfield combined with Harvey Danger to come up with Harvard Dangerfield. I think.
My real, AKC registered name is 'Ch. Skilo Bear's Ivy League C.G.C.U.', call name 'Harvard'.
What does that mean?
That means that, when I was born, I was registered with the American Kennel Club.
"Skilo Bear" is my AKC Registered Kennel Name, similar to your surname or last name.
"Ivy League" is my fancy first name. "Harvard" is my call name, and to what I answer.
"Ch." means that I am an AKC champion show dog, and "CGC" means that I have my Canine Good Citizen Certification. My Canine Good Citizen Certification means that I passed a test showing that I have basic training and good manners.
WHy aren't you a "Grand Champion"?
I am so old that there was no such thing as a "Grand Champion" when I was a show dog.
Therapy Dog
What is a therapy dog?
A therapy dog is specially trained with their owner as a Pet Therapy Team to improve the lives of other people. A Pet Therapy Team provides animal-assisted therapy to people in hospitals, elementary schools, universities, libraries, company offices, retirement homes, nursing homes, hospices, or disaster areas.
A therapy dog is not a service dog. Therapy dogs are pets; service dogs are not pets. Service dogs are specially trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate their person's disability. Through the American Disabilities Act, service dogs are given special access privileges in public places, such as on airplanes and in restaurants, to where pet dogs do not have access. A therapy dog can be invited to access public places that other pets can not, but a therapy dog is not entitled to invitations or access. It is unethical to pass off a therapy dog or a pet dog as a service dog for purposes such as flying on a plane or being admitted to a restaurant.
Is being a therapy dog your job?
Nope, being a therapy dog is a volunteer hobby. I do it because I love it!
If you would like to make a monetary donation to support my ability to volunteer at schools, libraries, hospitals, etc, you can!
How did you become a Certified Therapy Dog?
I became a certified therapy dog through the Pets & People Foundation. Pets & People Foundation is entirely non-profit, and their inspiration comes from the people whose faces light up when a dog, cat, or other animal walks into a room to give unconditional love and attention to someone in need.
Can my dog become a therapy dog?
Yes! Every dog has the potential to be a therapy dog, although, not every dog wants to be a therapy dog. Find a non-profit animal-assisted therapy organization near you for guidance.
My Fur
How often do you have to brush your fur?
All the time. As a samoyed, I need my fur brushed at least least once a week.
I get a bath & blowout at least once a month, or sometimes more for special occasions, like pet therapy visits and holidays.
How does your fur stay so clean?
As my mom says, my fur is high-maintenance.
You must be so hot in the summer! You must shave your fur.
NEVER SHAVE A SAMOYED'S FUR, please! Our under-coat keeps us warm in the winter and sheds for the summer. Our outer-coat keeps us cool in the summer by insulating cool air around our bodies. Without those pockets of cool air, we can't thermoregulate, so if you shave our fur we will overheat!
Read more from the AKC about how the samoyed's coat can handle a range of temperatures.
You should write a book!
I will, someday! If you'd like to be kept up to date with it's progress, subscribe to my newsletter:
You should be on The Ellen Show!
I would love to - I love Ellen DeGeneres! You can tell Ellen about me: Send to Ellen
I also would love to be on Sesame Street. You can tell Sesame Street about me: Contact Sesame Street
Do you give back to your community?
I do! You can read all about my philanthropy here:
My friend has a t-shirt with your face on it. I want one, too!
Isn't my face on a t-shirt pawesome! You can purchase one of your own here:
