Top of the Morning, Oct. 8, 2024

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It wasn’t age that kept Huff from his scheduled appearance at our radio show at the Esquire Lounge on Monday. The University of Illinois Police Department therapy dog turned 3 in August — a legal 21 in dog years.

In line to become the first four-legged guest in the WDWS program’s 15 years at the tavern, Huff had to back out Monday. Duty called.

He did, though, grant an interview before the change of plans. Here’s more from Huff, who lives and works with UI police Detective and Illini Hall of Famer Tara Hurless, digs salmon freeze-dried treats from Costco, works alongside Rosie and Lollipop as part of a three-dog therapy crew and is available upon request (scan the QR code).

What do you think of Detective Hurless?

“I love her soooooo much and love going to work every day. Each morning when I see her putting her uniform on, I get so excited and refuse to leave her side until we walk out the door. But when I am off duty and home from work, my MamaJ is really my favortiest (don’t tell MamaT).”

Where’s the coolest place you’ve been to on campus?

“I snuck on the football field one day to say hi to some U of I athletes training. I pretended the stadium was full and everyone was cheering for me and ran for a touchdown.”

What’s the best part of the job?

“It makes my heart feel happy when I am there for those who are feeling sad or down. I have spoken (face-to-face or over Zoom) to help 90 other police/fire departments all over the United States get information about Therapy K9s. Most of those departments now have their own Therapy K-9 unit. I’ve also met over 300,000 students and community members during my career, to include five other Big Ten universities. That’s a whole lot of pets and hugs!”