Amid a busy finals season, Emerson students took the time to relax, give back, and celebrate Truman, the beloved campus therapy beagle, on his tenth birthday.
While Truman’s birthday isn’t until May 8, his birthday celebration at Emerson took place on the last Friday of the semester on April 25. The celebration offered an opportunity for Emerson community members to grab a personalized Polaroid with Truman, a textured Truman sticker, and a birthday pin.
“I’m a big fan of Truman,” said Ilbra Rashidi, a sophomore writing, literature, and publishing major. “He’s just this beacon of happiness and joy on campus, so we had to show up and support him on his birthday.”
Throughout the hour-and-a-half long birthday celebration, a steady stream of close to 60 people stopped by Healing and Advocacy for the chance to take a picture with Truman or just say hello. While they waited in line, people could play a classic party game with a Truman twist, “Pin the Tail on the Beagle,” write captions under some of Truman’s most popular photos from his Instagram, and sign a birthday frame with a picture of Truman in a birthday hat that will hang in Healing and Advocacy.
Students that came to Truman’s birthday celebration were encouraged to refrain from bringing gifts and instead bring donations for the Nashua New Hampshire Humane Society, the organization that Melanie Matson, the director of Healing and Advocacy and Truman’s owner, adopted him from.
“He is pretty well-resourced, and we know it’s important to make sure that all animals are taken care of,” Matson said. “It felt significant on his 10 year mark to make sure to support them.”
Truman became a part of the Emerson community in 2017, but he took steps to be certified for pet therapy prior, a process Matson said was very involved. Truman visited children’s hospitals, senior centers, and college campuses to become more socialized. At Emerson, Matson said that the college-aged population has different needs, such as being away from pets at home, that Truman was able to fulfill.
“As a counselor, I noticed that a lot of the time, people were talking with me about what their coping strategies are or what felt healing and soothing for them, and pets would come up,” Matson said. “I learned a little bit more about pet therapy, which is especially important on college campuses where people can’t necessarily have pets or are at some distance.”
Truman’s days include walks in Boston Common or Public Garden, sleeping up to 18 hours per day, and hanging around in Healing and Advocacy on Tuesdays and Fridays for Truman Time, according to Matson.
“There’s a lot of social connections that are fun, and that relates to the core essence of Healing and Advocacy,” Matson said. “We believe that healing is done in community, so Truman is one way that brings the community together.”
For some students, visiting Truman during the week has become part of their routine in between classes, so it felt natural to come and celebrate him.
“I’m here a lot honestly. I’m one of Truman’s biggest fans,” said sophomore visual media arts major Christy Weeks. “It’s really nice to see everyone here because sometimes there’s a lot of people, sometimes it’s just me, but it’s so cool to see how many people are so excited for this.”
Matson said that they are appreciative of the amount of people who showed up to celebrate Truman and the love and support he has given the Emerson community.
“He’s living the life, that’s for sure … It really is an honor for me to have him here, for him to be here,” said Matson. “I’m sure he would express great joy.”
