During the Aggies’ season-opening football game against Arkansas State on Aug. 30, the 2-year-old sable collie, Kelly, was officially introduced to the public as Reveille VIII.
After several weeks of training, Reveille earned her five diamonds making her the highest-ranking member in the Corps of Cadets and the First Lady of Texas A&M. As tradition, Reveille stays with a sophomore in Company E-2 and is equipped with her own twin size bed, throw blankets and body pillows.
Former Mascot Corp. John Busch said he enjoyed his time living in the dorm with Reveille.
“I love her, I absolutely love her. She is the sweetest dog. If you can think of the sweetest 5-year-old girl, but cuter and a lot furrier, that’s what she’s like. Any situation that we put her in at this point she’s done well with,” said the sophomore business major.
The Mascot Corporal is in charge of taking care of Reveille and her needs for one full year. They feed her, keep her clean, get her to and from Aggie games and even answer questions for her.
Busch said that compared to Reveille VII who weighed in at 75 pounds, Reveille VIII is a more composed 48 pounds.
“[She is] the same breed, rough sable collie, but from a different Breeder. Reveille Vll didn’t like high pitched noises or vibrations so she barked a lot and Reveille Vlll is calmer, so she doesn’t respond to those noises,” Busch said.
Several students agreed with Busch that the comparison between Reveille VII and Reveille VIII is pretty widespread.
“This [Rev] causes a lot less commotion than the last one… and she loves chasing squirrels,” said Thomas McNabb, a sophomore manufacturing mechanical engineering technology major from Company K-2.
Robert Rodriguez, a sophomore aerospace engineering major said Reveille VIII has a much nicer temperament than Reveille VII.
Busch said that starting with the fourth Reveille, the Corps retired the First Lady so that they could have “regular dog lives” for the remainder of their lives.
“We usually retire them to a family that’s close to the outfit. For Rev Vll it was Paul and Tina Gardner, [from] Sweetwater Estates. We wait until they are about 9 or 10 years old and then we retire them and, of course, when they pass away they are then buried at the north end of Kyle Field facing the scoreboard,” he said.
Busch said the funniest thing he has seen Reveille do is in her role as a celebrity at A&M.
“One time she was walking behind me out the Corps dorms and there were a few guys standing there talking. So she was walking behind me and all of a sudden I felt a tug on the leash and she stopped and sat by the guys. I said I didn’t know what she wanted, but after they pet her she just kept on walking again,” he said.
The Corps has cared for Reveille for 60 years, which Busch describes as great because the tradition has not just continued, but expanded.
“I pretty much [got] to lay the foundation for what’s to come for the next 10 years or so, which is amazing. People may forget my name in years to come but they won’t ever forget Rev, she’s a walking tradition on campus,” Busch said.
He described his job as Mascot Corporal as one of the most outstanding and rewarding jobs on campus.
“It was unbelievable making people’s days by just allowing them to see her,” he said. “We want people to come and pet Reveille and meet her, we hope that everyone gets a chance to pet or get to know her rather than a big cow over in Austin.”