By Cadet LeeAnn Jones ‘19

After the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets’ last formation of the 2016-17 school year, Growley II (call sign “Tank”) stared patiently at his cadet handler, waiting for his next command.

“People have talked about bringing a dog into the Corps for quite some time. Someone tried back in the ’90s but it just didn’t work out, but I figured I’d give it a go,” said Zackary Sever ’17, the cadet who proposed the Corps’ canine ambassador program.

There is a legend in Corps history that, during the Depression, the commandant of cadets owned a dog named Growley. Cadets would sacrifice scraps from their breakfast to feed the dog.

Years later, another Growley has found a home within the Corps.

This Growley was thought up by cadets from Echo Company in February 2016 who were looking to address morale issues in the Corps. Sever took their idea and helped make it a reality.

The program is built off the precedent set by Texas A&M University, which has had a canine ambassador named Reveille since 1931.

With the help of the university’s legal department and Col. Patience Larkin ‘87, the Corps’ alumni director, Sever put together a detailed concept for the program for Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, the commandant of cadets.

Sever was ecstatic when the commandant agreed.

“Over the summer I wrote 48 pages worth of rules and regulations for the program,” Sever said.

The dog came in the form of an English Labrador retriever named Tank, bred by CiaoBella Retrievers in Troutville, Virginia. The breeder supports service dog organizations by donating puppies.