Scooter is a mixed breed Jack Russell Terrier. He belongs to Nicole Tompos, a fourth-year communication arts and literature teaching major with an English language minor.

Scooter was originally found running outside of a Target, and was put into an animal shelter. After being adopted by the Tompos family on Oct. 5, 2011 from the Mower County Humane Society in Austin, MN, he has been very well-loved and well-fed. At the beginning of 2019, Scooter travelled from Tompos’ mother’s house to live with Tompos and her sister, Abby.

Tompos says that Scooter is a very funny dog, and has been ever since he first came home.

“The night we first bought him home, he jumped up on the back of the couch with ease. My mom told him to get down from there, and that is when he launched himself off the back of the couch, soaring over the coffee table, and landed at my mom’s feet,” Tompos said. “Also, Abby and I hated listening to him whine and cry that first night, so I let him out of the kennel so he could sleep with me. He was still really excited about a new home and everything so I could not get him to settle down. He kept going under my bed and grabbing these beanie baby cats I had and running around my room with them. When I finally did get him to settle down, he did not want to sleep in the little doggy bed I moved to my room for him, so he came to cuddle with me instead. That’s the night i found out what a bed hog he is as this tiny dog took up half my twin sized bed.”

Scooter enjoys napping on his favorite spot on the couch, watching people eat food, finding patches of sunlight to bask in, going on car rides and finding all sorts of yummy things to eat. Though Scooter is an older boy, he still enjoys his active time outside, albeit with some mild wheezing when he gets tired or winded.

Scooter is an adorably chunky dog, and we give him 5/5 paws.

The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Winona State University, the Minnesota State Colleges and University system, or the Winona State University student body.