When Freshman Communications major Jordan Diver was in sixth grade, she received one of the greatest surprises of her life: a Black Lab Great Dane mix named Juliet. Her family told her they were going to get a dog. She and her siblings had always asked about getting a dog for quite a while, but when she heard the news, she was ecstatic. To this day, it’s her best memory of one of her favorite dogs.

Then two years later, her family was graced with yet another gentle giant: an Australian Shepherd Collie mix named Roscoe. When the Divers adopted him, he was four going-on five years old and came from an abusive environment. The family has no knowledge of the exact amount of time he had been abused, and it took him time to warm up to the family. However, when he did come out of his shell, it was the one of the happiest days of Diver’s life.

“When I knew it was supposed to be my dog, I was so happy,” Diver said.

Both dogs have loving personalities, yet there is a little more to them, individually. With Juliet, she can be so sassy and sometimes would want to be left alone. “She loves to be pet, don’t get me wrong,” Diver said. “But she likes doing her own thing sometimes.” As for Roscoe, he’s a little puppy trapped in a nine-year-old body. However, to him, age is only a number. He loves acting younger than he is, and Diver couldn’t have enough of him or Juliet.

Although their personalities vary slightly, they have a couple of things in common. They both like to jump into the trash bin. Even if she was given a lot of food, Juliet wouldn’t hesitate to jump in the bin. Roscoe would do this as well, but he couldn’t compare to what Juliet would be capable of.

They also have an appreciation for walks and anything that smells like bacon or treats that keep their teeth clean. Although Diver couldn’t recall the name of the dog treats that they enjoy very much, at the end of the day, all that matters was that they liked them all the same.   

They also love having hard toys. They especially love tennis balls and KONGS–chew toys that could be filled with chewy stuff the dogs would enjoy. But if anyone offers them stuffed animals, it should come as a fair warning that they will rip them to shreds. “The harder the toy, the better,” Diver said.

For other forms of pampering, they love being pet and getting treats. On Christmas or Easter, they would get something special in their stockings/baskets to enjoy. All the same, they are all about the simple things.  

They also get very ecstatic with walks and people. Although they like barking at people when they walk by the house, they can warm up to them very quickly. As for the former, they get very excited when they see they were going to go outside.   

The most important thing that people need to know about Diver’s dogs is that they are very loving creatures. Roscoe, especially, seems to have come a long way since he was four going-on five years-old. And it’s going home to them that can bring Diver  the most joy. “I just love going home, seeing them. [They] make everything so much better,” Diver said. “They’re just two really sweet dogs.”