Long time NPDD friends know of our affection for purebred dog college mascots because they are visible icons, and as such, ambassadors for their breed to a young audience. Can you image a Texas Aggie not knowing about Rough Collies, or a University of Georgia alum not knowing “Uga’s” breed?

Folks who follow this sort of thing already know that Boston University has as its mascot, “Rhett, the Boston Terrier,” but BU isn’t the only institution of higher learning to embrace the Boston as a mascot. Wofford College has “Blitz,” a Boston Terrier.

A “live” dog, “Blitz” (aka “Ka-Dee”) debuted in 2003 as the “official” mascot of the school athletic department. Blitz was a pure bred Boston Terrier owned by the Williams of Spartanburg.  Blitz roamed the sidelines in front of the student body during every home football at Gibbs Stadium and didn’t missed a home game for five years. During the final home game of 2006, Blitz was honored with a varsity letter for serving as official mascot for the Terriers.  Two years later, she passed away during surgery to remove an abdominal mass found only the day before.

“Ka-Dee” was succeeded by “Ayeryel,” or Blitz II who served until her retirement in 2013. She was notorious for enjoying tailgate parties during her “sunset years,” and passed away in her home in 2017.  “Magnolia,” or Blitz III, followed Ayeryel and is the current mascot.  The process for Ayeryel’s replacement started with a group of nominated dogs, and a blind vote commenced in February 2014 which included feedback from Wofford students, faculty, staff and fans.  From the voting process, “Magnolia”, won and became the youngest Boston Terrier to be named the official mascot.

So where does the mascot moniker, “Blitz” come from?  Boston Terrier owners are going to love this. The name has no connection with the school, but it was felt that handling a Boston Terrier that is on the prowl or eager to get somewhere is similar to an all-out “blitz” similar to that put on by a charging defensive line and linebackers. The school feels that while their breed of mascot is small, the energy and speed by which they attack makes the name,  “Blitz,”  a perfect one.