ATLANTA — Uga VII, the white English bulldog mascot for the University of Georgia’s football team for almost two seasons, died Thursday of heart-related causes, the dog’s owner said.
The 56-pound dog, nicknamed “Loran’s Best,” was known as a laid-back mascot who seemed oblivious to crowd noise during boisterous games and would sit patiently as excited fans snapped photos of him. He often roamed the sidelines in a shirt with a ’G’ stitched on it, sometimes resting on a bag of ice to cool off in his customized dog house.
The school said there would be no mascot at Saturday’s game in Athens against Southeastern Conference rival Kentucky, but that a wreath will be laid on his doghouse on the field’s sidelines. Sonny Seiler, the dog’s owner, said he likely wouldn’t name a replacement until next year.
“We are all in a state of shock,” Seiler said in a news release issued by the university. “We had no warning whatsoever.”
The 4-year-old dog made his debut as the mascot in August 2008 after his father, Uga VI, died of congestive heart failure. He had big paws to fill — Uga VI was the school’s winningest mascot, racking up a 87-27 record, seven wins in nine bowl appearances and a pair of Southeastern Conference championships.
But Seiler said the dog distinguished himself in his own way.
“He was 10-3 last year which is not bad for a freshman,” said Seiler. “Uga VII was not as active or mischievous as his father but more distinguished. He realized his role when he put his shirt on. He was well-behaved and always appreciated the significance of his role.”
The dog was the latest in a line of mascots that have been featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek and in several movies. He also was a compelling symbol for football fans across the nation, said Damon Evans, the school’s athletic director.
“Just as his ancestors, he had captured the hearts of college football fans everywhere as the country’s No. 1 mascot,” Evans said. “He had been truly embraced by all those who follow the Georgia Bulldogs across the country. We will miss him dearly.”
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Comments » 57
huntined#565710 writes:
DANG hate to hear the DAWGS lost their DOG..
HHUUMMBBLLEE writes:
r.i.p.
westcoastvol writes:
He took one look at Willie Martinez' game plan for Kentucky and dropped dead on the spot.
roloyo writes:
figured Larry Munson would go first
bobbarbilly writes:
We will meet but we will miss him.
bobbytodd writes:
Somebody dig a hole. No autopsy necessary. They make a Xerox copy of those guys so they will be fine.
mbible1utk#324980 writes:
i wonder what happened....considering the previous UGA went 9 seasons, and this one didn't make it through but 1 1/2.
the10sevol writes:
only there for 2 years? musta been a juco.
here's to a basket of gator bones and a big bag of ice for uga on the sideline in dawg heaven.
GBO
Go4Two writes:
losing will do that to a dog
prideofthesouthland writes:
That is funny.
BSweet writes:
Condolences to his trainers and owners. He may have been UGA's mascot, but he was someone's pet too. I'm sure they will miss him greatly.
REVOL writes:
Dog gone!
huntined#565710 writes:
harris is a vol!!!
Ringside writes:
He had the FLU...according the Meyer.
RIP.
Heard that Smokey attended the funeral and
Lassie spoke.
rocky_topper writes:
Sorry to hear!
AceVentura writes:
Did Mark Richt have this dog "put to sleep." as in sleeping with the fishies? hmmm I think he did in hopes of turning it around.
TommyJack writes:
Thanks KNS. Some scoop.
TLepage writes:
its sad that he died, but i've never been a fan of the english bulldog breed..... they are dumb as hell, if you've ever met one and they slobber all over the place.... i'm a german shorthaired pointer man, myself.... now thats a real dog.....
westknoxvol24 writes:
Luv dogs....hate that... go vols
westknoxvol24 writes:
respiratory issues as well
bigorange61 writes:
Hope our freshman recruits had nothing to do with this.
LaneTrain writes:
R.I.P. UGA, at the least that is a very expensive dog. You can buy one of the offsprings for 25k.... cause of death is heart attack.
bobbytodd writes:
That would have taken planning and I don't think our guys are capable of that. If they screw up again I just hope they get away with it long enough for an investigation to get started. 0-2 so far.
caverunner writes:
My guess, the loss to Wofford was more than he could stand!
WaltGoVols writes:
Saw that dog at the UGA game. Quite a specimen.
Walt
UT '81
LaneTrain writes:
RIP UGA...you can buy a sibling of UGA for only 25k...
KSargent writes:
No that was not funny ........ that was really funny ... hope Uga was not at the gas station late last week .....
CrankE writes:
KNS articles are hardhitting like mofos!
Maybe he was wearing a black jersey.
givehim6 writes:
Sorry to the dawg nation. Recommend the next Uga have a health plan to keep him in better shape, all I ever saw him do was lay in his house or on ice.
VolInIndy writes:
Good One. It probably wasn't Usa's heart. Somebody probably stepped on him with a hobnail boot.
HallowedHill writes:
Always a sad day when a dog dies.
Madkels writes:
Sorry to hear it and feel for all my UGA friends here in metro Atlanta. Our 10 year old King Charles Cavalier is not far behind him with heart issues too. R.I.P UGA VII.
midnite__VOL writes:
Wonder who UGA is sniffing now?
GhostofRobertNeyland writes:
Very funny!!!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Very true.
This farm has a 12 yr old chihuahua and a 11 yr old lab.
Lost a beagle early this year.
Dogs are always the same, bad day or not.
golfballs03 writes:
i wonder if he got enough exercise. i know smokey gets more than enough! running up and down the endzone after all those TDs!
dvols writes:
makes me just want to go give ol smokey a big hug!~
Al_the_Dawg writes:
To those who offered kind words, thank you.
Rest in Peace UGA VII. You're a ****** Good Dawg.
Voluvr writes:
Considering he was on suicide watch after the Tennessee game, they might want to do an autopsy.
DT writes:
Dang! I hate to hear that. Poor little fella didn't have a very long life but i'm sure he enjoyed it while it lasted. R.I.P UGA VII!
colt writes:
Sorry about UGA 7. Tennessee fans feel for your loss. All dogs are special.
Mpboldt writes:
Very well stated. Pets/Mascots are just like Family. R.I.P. UGA.
The1 writes:
The best deal mankind ever made - his partnership with dogs. We definitely get the best from them and they ask so little in return. I am a vol fan, but I have to say that those white UGA bulldogs are my favorite live mascot. Something about the way they lay on that bag of ice and really don't seem to give a sh*t about what anybody thinks of them. Remember the one several years back that about took a chunk out of the Auburn player.
Down_The_Field writes:
RIP lil fella.
dma38256#264746 writes:
Sorry to hear that. R.I.P. UGA
516milesfromUT writes:
That dog was brilliant! i hear they taught it to read! Amazing!Heard he just read the final score vs UT. Then....................
sidwalkvol writes:
I am not sure you have been around a bully enough. We just lost ours at age nine, and he was the sweetest, lovingest, best dog we ever had. Only time he slobbered was when he was overheated. They do have respiratory issues, and sometimes problems with knee and hip displasia, but they are loyal and gentle, playful and lazy. Great house pets.
We are in deep grief.
RIP, Uga.
Love Smokey, and am orange to the bone, but LOVE the bulldogs.
jet writes:
This makes me very sad. I have an English bulldog who will be 12 years old in March. Very unusual for one of these dogs. He is really showing his age. Very very special dogs. My sympathy to the owners and Georgia fans.
Seriouslyorange writes:
Sorry to see this UGA go!! Dawg fans want 842 (UGA) as their area code but the 'guvment' won't allow it. We have the patent on '865'!
Along with Lassie speaking at the wake was Rin Tin Tin and his cuzzin Aluma Num Num Num!
They lost a good friend and mascot, rip.
mercuryvol writes:
RIP UGA Nothing like a dog (good or otherwise) to make a bad day great.Hope you dawg fans get another great one soon.
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