• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Wellesley Square
  • Private schools
  • Camp
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Cuteness alert: Babson College adds working puppy to the Wellesley campus

February 15, 2021 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

We’ve missed feeling welcome at Babson College since the pandemic has closed the campus to outside visitors, but when we heard the business school had added a puppy to the community, we invited ourselves over. When a five-month old English cream golden retriever gets added to the family, well-wishers will come a-calling.

The pup’s name is Roger, and the Student Government Association, in response to students’ requests, provided the funding to bring him to campus. Now that he’s there, Roger is being raised up to serve as certified community resource dog. It’s hard work that keeps him busy four mornings a week learning important skills such as sit, stay, come, and heel as Roger internalizes his recall training lessons.

Babson College, Wellesley
Meet Roger, Babson College’s new community resource dog.

Babson Police Officer Kevin Carrigan is Roger’s partner in service to the community. The two not only work together, they also clock out together. In his off-hours, Roger enjoys family life with Officer Carrigan and his wife. But what if Carrigan moves on to a job outside of Babson? These things happen. “I’m not leaving,” Carrigan shrugged.

To meet Roger, I didn’t exactly storm the gates of entrepreneurial school. Roger, Carrigan and I rendezvoused outside the Forest Street entrance for our photo-op. The calm pup never once strained at his leash or, when briefly unleashed to show off his skills, even so much as glanced at the busy street as something that maybe he’d run off to explore. Roger is all about the human friends, and he takes his job seriously. Since everyone Roger meets is someone who might need an emotional boost, Roger let me know with eye contact and a wagging tail that he was there for me.

I fell hard for that sweet face. Roger has had that effect on the campus community as well. During his strolls on campus and while attending events, Carrigan says students approach the two all the time just to experience the joy of petting a puppy. Every positive interaction Roger has as a youngster helps him along his career path as a community resource dog. As Roger’s training progresses, he will be used on campus to respond to emotional, mental, and physical health emergencies and serve as a calming influencer. Already he’s brought students to tears.

Babson College, Wellesley
Officer Kevin Carrigan and Roger are partners in service.

“I’ve had students cry when they meet him because he makes them think of their dogs at home, or they say that the stress of dealing with school durning COVID is sometimes hard,” Carrigan said.

Although Roger hasn’t yet come across Babson’s mascot, Biz E. Beaver, Roger confided to me that he looks forward to meeting his colleague. He said he’d like to help Biz E out with the anxiety issues that have led to his compulsive gnawing problem. Maybe give Biz E some strategies to take the stress level down a notch.

Babson being Babson, there is a business component to Roger’s arrival on campus. The alumni association is going forward with plans to sell Roger stuffed toys at the bookstore. Proceeds will go toward Roger’s care.

“He had a few adjustment bumps at first,” Carrigan says, “But he settled in pretty fast. Now he’s just a part of Babson.”

Babson College, Wellesley
Of course Mrs. Swellesley got in for a pic with Roger. Look at that sit-and-stay control. Good dog.

  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
print
Share

Filed Under: Animals, Babson College, Business

Comments

  1. Mark C Lavelle says

    February 15, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    Welcome Roger!!!

    Reply
  2. Pauline Hoegler says

    February 16, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    Great job Kevin and Roger. I love seeing this.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Cheesy Street Grill
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Congrats to all those sweaty, determined Pan-Mass Challenge riders
  • An hour in a Wellesley garden—a visit to Little Red
  • Wellesley arts news: Davis Museum previews fall exhibits; Abstract art welcomes you to the library
  • Upcoming political debates & forums
  • Wellesley readies for Pan-Mass Challenge 2022

Upcoming Events

Aug 11
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Wellesley Neighbors, Open Lunch

Aug 11
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Style in the Golden Years

Aug 12
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Fay School admission information session

Aug 12
1:00 pm

Bach to Rock free instrument petting zoo

Aug 15
1:00 pm

Wellesley Neighbors, Open Lunch

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Ellen S on The Underrated Cure: Gardening’s Effect on Mental Health
  • Mary Ann on First taste: Wellesley Square’s new Lockheart Restaurant
  • Mary Ann on First taste: Wellesley Square’s new Lockheart Restaurant
  • Michael Maggard WHS '85 on In remembrance: Martha ‘Martie” Cherry Fiske, award-winning Wellesley teacher who fought for job rights
  • Katherine Fellows on Wellesley outdoor watering restrictions to come with a bit of ‘enforcement’

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • Animals (418)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (581)
  • Beyond Wellesley (49)
  • Books (368)
  • Business (1,514)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (49)
  • Churches (81)
  • Clubs (229)
  • Construction (296)
  • Dump (127)
  • Education (3,124)
    • Babson College (251)
    • Bates Elementary School (16)
    • Dana Hall School (34)
    • Fiske Elementary School (9)
    • Hardy Elementary School (44)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (43)
    • MassBay (55)
    • Schofield Elementary School (24)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (610)
    • Wellesley High School (969)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (70)
  • Entertainment (792)
  • Environment (754)
  • Fashion (141)
  • Finance (14)
  • Fire (164)
  • Food (347)
  • Fundraising (615)
  • Gardens (160)
  • Government (565)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (14)
  • Health (853)
    • COVID-19 (200)
  • Hikes (4)
  • History (389)
  • Holidays (406)
  • Houses (157)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (854)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (6)
  • Letters to the Editor (63)
  • Media (70)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (11)
  • Morses Pond (108)
  • Music (571)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (273)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (76)
  • Outdoors (643)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (757)
    • Crime (386)
  • Politics (551)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (334)
  • Religion (132)
  • Restaurants (335)
  • Safety (151)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (123)
  • Shopping (148)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (986)
    • Athlete of the Week (6)
  • STEM (107)
  • Technology (164)
  • Theatre (395)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (232)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,231)
  • Volunteering (347)
  • Weather (178)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (277)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (19)
Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

© 2022 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login