Hudson, a yellow lab puppy who has become the unofficial official mascot of ODU football, will not be allowed on the sidelines for the Monarchs’ game on Saturday at UVA.
This will be why Virginia will lose on Saturday. Karma is undefeated.
“To my @ODUFootball team, @UVAFootball has told my team at @MuttswaMission that we will NOT be allowed on the field even though we are accredited with @adiintl (the highest standard). They are intimidated by my presence on the field,” Hudson ODU tweeted on Wednesday.
An article on the Outkick website relates the reason: that UVA has a “strict policy” that does not allow service animals in training on their sideline.
O … K.
ODU coach Ricky Rahne and his family, earlier this year, signed up for Mutts with a Mission, a two-year program that places puppies at a caregivers’ home for 18 months before returning them back to the organization for six months to train the dogs as service dogs to then place with disabled veterans, first responders and law enforcement for no cost to the recipient.
Rahne and his family adopted Hudson, and so has the ODU football team, which has embraced the pup, calling him “Little Huddy,” welcoming him into the weight room, team meetings and the sidelines for ODU’s first two games this season.
His first road game was at ECU, which welcomed Hudson with welcome arms.
Look how welcoming and supportive ECU was of having me on their field 🐾🐕🦺 #servicedog pic.twitter.com/1YPQxuU9Ql
— Hudson ODU (@HudsonODU) September 14, 2022
It’s not too late for Virginia AD Carla Williams to undo this dumb injustice.