Operation 15. For 10 days in June it was the best-kept secret on campus: the new dog in town. Under a soft terry towel of secrecy, brother Jonathan XIV began the mascot training of XV, a 10-pound, blue-eyed bundle who loves to yap and cuddle. XIV, who came from Arkansas, was 16 pounds at this age, according to Jonathan\u2019s Crew, canine advisors and the members of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity who\u2019ve had charge of mascot care and safekeeping since 1970. Lucky for us, they recorded \u201cthe little guy\u2019s\u201d serious and silly milestones along the way \u2014 including the official unveiling to UConn Nation.<\/p>\n
XV hails from Atwood, Ontario, Canada, where he spent his first eight weeks among his four sisters and one brother. During his top secret first 10 days at UConn, he learned to sit and stay \u2014 and pose for a close-up. A surprise meeting with some Huskies taught him just how tall a human can be \u2014 the basketball players held tightly to the secret, sharing photos only after the reveal. A purebred Siberian Husky, mascot-in-training XV joins a long line of canine Jonathans dating back to 1935. Why Jonathan? Students named him through a contest \u2014 legend has it that during the American Revolution George Washington referred to Connecticut\u2019s then-governor Jonathan Trumbull as \u201cBrother Jonathan.\u201d<\/p>\n