Some are big, as tall as a table at the shoulder.

Some are small enough to fit into a teacup.

They can be loud, they can be mischievous, they can be playful.

They are almost always adorable.

I am talking about man's best friend, talking about

dogs. I grew up with Great Danes, so I have this real soft spot for big, gawky, awkward dogs

that think they're lap dogs, but actually weigh 120 pounds. I love, I love Danes. But today, our place's

editors, Michelle Cassidy and Jonathan Carey have two really lovely stories about two different dogs.

And these dogs were no ordinary canines. These were little furry heroes, who you can actually

still visit today, albeit in a

much less alive and much more taxidermy format. But nonetheless, their stories are delightful and

inspiring. And the first story comes from Washington, D.C., and Michelle has the rest.

Back in college, I was part of a student group that took care of Georgetown University's beloved canine resident, Jack the Bulldog.

We walked Jack, fed him, drove him around campus in his very own golf cart,

escorted him to events,

brought him across the court at halftime during basketball games, and regularly wiped the drool off of his sprinkled face. It's a long-running tradition. The dog that I helped take care of

was one in a line of English bull dog mascots.

Each and every one of them named Jack that started at Georgetown in 1962.

But the school's very first dog mascot actually came a few decades before all the Jacks,

in the forum of a scrappy little terrier mix named Stubby.

He didn't come from any distinguished breeding line,

and he was never a contender for Bestin's show,

...