One of the most popular characters on Samford’s campus loves basketball and Chick-fil-a. He’s also known for caring about Samford students. His Instagram page is a pretty big deal, too. He just happens to be a medical alert service English Bulldog named Clyde.
Freshman Evelyn Grace Cutting first got Clyde in high school after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Early on, the small puppy would alert his owner to having panic attacks and fainting spells. This inspired Cutting to put Clyde through the training to be a service dog. So the puppy went through all stages of training before working with someone who specialized in medical alert service dogs for 18 months.
“The training process was definitely worth it,” said Cutting. “(Clyde) also received his Canine Good Citizenship from the American Kennel Club.”
In high school, Cutting started his Instagram page, which helped Clyde become a celebrity.
“I thought making him an Instagram account would distract me from being so sick and make me happy sharing Clyde’s love,” said Cutting.
When it came time for Cutting to come to college, Clyde was able to join, protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The most important thing is that I have all of Clyde’s veterinary papers, training logs, and my doctors’ notes together to show that we are a legitimate service dog team,” said Cutting.
According to Cutting, Clyde is now the official Samford mascot, which goes along well with his outgoing personality.
“We walk to Ben Brown every day as he wants to cheer people up,” said Cutting. “He will pick students out of the crowd that he assumes need his company and drags me to them.”
Follow @clydetheenglishbulldog on Instagram for a taste of the sweet relationship between Clyde and Cutting.
“Clyde and I have a very special bond that I hope every person gets to have at least once in their lifetime,” said Cutting. “He just wants to spread his joy and love which makes me a proud mom.”
Kathryn Jordan, Features Editor
[Photo courtesy of Evelyn Grace Cutting]
