Sept. 26, 2003

Charleston, SC - There's a new General in town and he's stirring up attention everywhere he goes. And although he has relatives at University of Georgia, Mississippi State and in the Marine Corps, as of this summer he's made The Citadel his home as the first bulldog mascot in approximately 40 years.

"Everybody on this campus really wants to come meet the dog," said Mike Groshon, assistant athletic director. "He's been extremely positive with everybody."

The Citadel Class of 2003 purchased and donated "General," named by the corps, after they requested to return the tradition of having a bulldog mascot on campus. Since the 1960s the school's been using individuals' dogs as the mascot. "Now we have the little bugger on campus," Groshon said.

The 15-week old General arrived at the Citadel in August and is the first of two dogs that will reside on the military campus. Currently, General's doghouse, designed to resemble the barracks, is under construction and is expected to be complete in approximately a week. Until then, he's been hanging out in the rear of McAlister Field House where he receives first class treatment.

"He has one to two cadets who are assigned to look after him," Groshon said. "Their job is to walk him and give him a little something to eat." General also has a dog handler crew of six that takes him to all the special events, football games and parades, and has a sign outside the office where he resides that reads, General Bulldog Headquarters. "Oh he's pampered," added Groshon, who contributes to the first class treatment by welcoming General in his home at night.

Other than General's housing accommodations, the corps and the Alumni Association are fundraising for General's upkeep and maintenance. According to Groshon, the school isn't spending any money on the mascot.

If anyone's concerned, General comes from a well-respected family, which consists of a number of popular mascots. "The people we got him from are the breeders for the University of Georgia. He has a good family," Groshon said. UGA the sixth, the mascot for Georgia, is General's uncle and the Mississippi State and Marine Corps mascots are General's cousins. The second bulldog mascot is expected to arrive in November.