In Loving Memory of Gus Garvey
Image Courtesy of Office of the President, The Catholic University of America
By Anna Harvey
On Friday, July 9, Catholic University students received an email from President John Garvey titled “Goodbye Gus.” In the email, Garvey informed the student body that Gus passed away the previous night in Nugent Hall.
“After a few days of illness, we are sad to share that Gus Garvey, first dog of Catholic University, died last night in Nugent Hall,” the email read.
Gus Garvey, The Catholic University of America’s First Dog, was a familiar friend to many Catholic University students. Over the years, students would often see Gus on campus, whether he was on a walk with a student or was participating in Valentine’s Day meet-and-greet at the Pryz. The beloved, scruffy mutt continually brought joy to all students, willingly greeting each in turn on his walks and patiently waiting for a scratch behind the ears.
In his email, Garvey recalled how in 2011, Catholic University’s First Lady Jeanne Garvey brought Gus home.
“It took me some time to warm up to him,” Garvey said. “But the way he instantly connected with the students was invaluable.”
While Garvey admitted that Gus “tolerated” him, he recalled the pooch’s enthusiasm for meeting students.
“He often accompanied us to greet students and parents at move-in day,” Garvey said. “He also joined us for campus traditions — often dressing up for Halloween on campus and attending the Christmas tree lighting. He liked to join Red the mascot in videos and social media posts as a sort of unofficial mascot.”
Over the last few years, Gus had noticeably grown grayer and slower, but his friendly attitude toward the students never wavered. Within a day of Garvey’s email, students took to social media to express their condolences and sorrow over Gus’s passing. Many students recalled their fond memories of Gus.
Rising sophomore business major Brennan Stone remembered his interactions with Gus when he attended Garvey’s Virtues class at Nugent Hall.
“Even though I have only spent one year on campus, I saw how important Gus was to our university community,” said Stone. “He was a Catholic U celebrity who will be truly missed.”
Junior chemistry major Darby Drake remembered when Gus joined her to commemorate the Relay for Life walk in April 2021 to raise awareness for cancer. Drake and Gus walked around campus for about an hour with several friends, talking to other students they met about the cause.
“Gus was involved in celebrating Relay for Life with me and my friends!” Drake said. “During the pandemic we were only allowed to have a virtual relay, and it was super fun to be able to walk him around campus.”
The University community will certainly never forget its shaggy-haired, brown-eyed, four-legged friend and all of the memories they made with him.
“Nugent Hall will be a quieter and sadder place without him,” Garvey said. “And we’ll miss the students who came to walk him for us. We do hope that the students, when they return in the fall, will continue to say hello to us on our walks around campus. We know it was only Gus they were interested in, but we’ll need the attention now.”
