This isn't directly related to football, but I thought it was worth posting.
http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/102103reveillevi.htm
October 21, 2003
Reveille VI euthanized; funeral arrangements pending
By CHRISTOPHER FERRELL
Eagle Staff Writer
Funeral arrangements are pending for retired Texas A&M University mascot Reveille VI, who was euthanized Saturday after battling epilepsy for most of her life and liver problems in recent years.
The 10-year-old Collie was put down on the advice of her caretaker, retired A&M veterinarian Charles Hall, who made the decision after consulting with other A&M veterinarians, according to a university press release.
Reveille VI served as the “first lady” of Aggieland from 1993 to 2001, when she was replaced because of health problems.
No date has been set for Reveille VI’s funeral, but university officials said the burial most likely will take place after Nov. 1. The first five Reveilles are buried outside The Zone at Kyle Field, where a special scoreboard is mounted so they can see the score of A&M football games, according to tradition.
The last military-style mascot funeral — for her predecessor, Reveille V, in September 1999 — drew about 3,000 students and alumni to the campus.
Reveille VI was born Sept. 3, 1993 and took over as mascot about five weeks later. She was 4 months old when she was kidnapped by University of Texas students as a prank before the annual A&M-Texas game. She eventually was found tied to a tree near a lake in Austin and is in the history books as the only A&M mascot to ever have been stolen.
Reveille VI starred in a 1996 film titled Reveille: My Life as the Aggie Mascot. She was in attendance when A&M won the 1998 Big 12 championship and for President George W. Bush’s inaugural ball in Washington, D.C., in 2000.
The former Aggie mascot was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and arthritis in 1996, but was able to continue her duties — which included attending football games and other A&M functions — for more than four years.
Senior cadet Matt Stalcup, commander of Company E-2, which takes care of Aggie mascots, was a freshman when Reveille VI was retired and Reveille VII took over.
“Her life was so stressful. All the stuff a mascot has to do is demanding for any dog,” Stalcup said. “When she was retired to Dr. Hall’s house, we got to go out there periodically and play with her. It was nice to see her get to play and just be a regular dog.”
She celebrated her 10th birthday in September at a party hosted by Hall and his wife, Diane, who had taken care of her for almost 2 1/2 years. The Halls told guests that Reveille VI was in declining health and was taking nine different pills and two forms of liquid medications each day to help combat seizures and other problems.
The Reveille tradition dates back to 1931, when Corps members hit a small black and white dog on their way back from Navasota. The dog began barking the next morning when Reveille was played by a bugler and she was named after the morning wake-up call.
Reveille mascots are considered the highest ranking member of the A&M Corps of Cadets, and hold the distinction of a five-star general. If Reveille sleeps in a cadet’s bed, the Corps member must sleep on the floor. An A&M tradition dictates that if the dog barks while in a class, the professor is to immediately dismiss their students.