Lisa Tell 鈥87, DVM 鈥91, may be an expert in hummingbird health, but she鈥檚 quickly learning the ins and outs of working dogs 鈥 and football.
Tell, a professor of medicine and epidemiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine who also studies drug residue avoidance in food animals, is the owner and trainer of Cori, a 2陆-year-old Labrador retriever trotting onto the field to fetch the tee after every Aggie kickoff this season.
鈥淚t makes people smile, and she loves it,鈥 Tell said.
Cori continues a fan-favorite tradition started by Pint, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever who retrieved 284 kickoff tees from 2012 until last year. Pint is 鈥渄efinitely slowing down鈥 but is , owner and veterinary medicine professor Danika Bannasch said.
Cori made her first appearance in over the University of San Diego, and that Cori 鈥済ot the loudest cheers of the night.鈥
Tell said she appreciated the enthusiasm from the record crowd of 14,394 people, which included nearly 11,000 students.
鈥淭he students were great,鈥 Tell said. 鈥淭hey were chanting her name, but that did not deter her.鈥
Giving back
Training Cori is a big time commitment 鈥 Tell said she is always looking for new ways to keep the dog engaged, like learning dock jumping or fetching baseball bats in case she can one day become a two-sport dog 鈥 but Tell said she doesn鈥檛 mind.
鈥淚 really love 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis 鈥 it鈥檚 a great school,鈥 Tell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way of giving back. I鈥檓 happy to make the time commitment.鈥
In fact, Tell flew all the way to Idaho to get Cori, who had initially trained for retriever field trial competitions but hadn鈥檛 quite made the cut.
鈥淲ithin 24 hours she knew I was her person and I knew she was my dog,鈥 Tell said.
She brought Cori home to join the rest of her animals 鈥 three parrots, one cat, three other dogs and a desert tortoise 鈥 and got to work training her to run onto the field and find and retrieve the black plastic tee.
Tell worked with the football team over the summer, purchasing the same kind of tee that senior human development major and kicker Isaiah Gomez uses, so she could practice with them at home.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檝e connected very well,鈥 Gomez said of Cori, noting her similarity to a pair of twin black Labradors he had growing up. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to do anything 鈥 she does it all on her own.鈥
Tell said she still needs to learn more about the rules of football and frequently attends the team鈥檚 morning practices with Cori, who has already retrieved tees at some Davis High School football games this season.
At Saturday鈥檚 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis home opener, Gomez made his placement of the kickoff tee very obvious and deliberate to help Cori spot the small item, Tell said.
鈥淎s soon as she saw him, she totally locked in on him and the tee,鈥 Tell said Monday, calling it a 鈥渢errific weekend.鈥
Tell praised not only Cori鈥檚 drive and skill, but her friendly demeanor. When a staff member鈥檚 young child was drawn to Cori after a recent practice, Cori gently greeted the toddler.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege for me to work with a dog like this,鈥 Tell said.
Cori鈥檚 public-facing duties have already turned her into an unofficial mascot for both the team and the School of Veterinary Medicine 鈥 a connection that is a source of pride for both entities.
Tell has printed stickers and magnets featuring Cori 鈥 wearing a veterinary medicine bandana 鈥 in photos taken by her husband, recently retired veterinary medicine photographer Don Preisler. She plans to hand them out at public events with Cori 鈥 not only games, but also fan events and other occasions. to connect with fans.
Saturday Game Day Events
The Aggies鈥 next home game is this Saturday (Sept. 24) vs. Weber State, featuring Cori and a lot more:
- Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, entitling faculty and staff to two free tickets each. and entering Promo Code STAFFAGGIES.
- Dedication at 4 p.m. for the Edwards Family Athletics Center, . Self-guided tours will follow the ceremony.
- Staff Assembly Tailgate starts at 4:30 p.m. on the Bob Biggs Practice Field.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.