The newest member of the Crawford family is Charlie, a “super energetic and enthusiastic” golden retriever.

Miami University President Gregory Crawford and University Ambassador Dr. Renate Crawford rescued the nearly 5-year-old dog this spring. Charlie joins their pack of Ivy and Newton.

“Newton and Ivy have such a wonderful life on our beautiful campus and with our wonderful students,” Renate Crawford said. “So, when I saw the stories of dogs, especially goldens, who were in a rescue situation, ‘In the Arms of an Angel’ played in my head, and I applied and became a foster parent.”

She intended to foster him until he found a permanent home.

“Charlie made great progress and after a few weeks, they contacted us for cute pictures and video so he could be featured on the website to find his ‘furever’ family,” she said.

Charlie runs across Central Quad (photo by Jeff Sabo).

But by then, Miami’s ambassador and an adjunct professor of Physics had fallen hard for Charlie.

“I told Greg ‘I think I love him,’ and here we are a three-dog household. Greg has told that story quite a few times, clearly placing the ‘blame’ for us being a three-dog family on me,” she said. “He spoils Charlie just like he does Newton and Ivy, so don’t let him fool you.” 

Renate Crawford said the canine companion is “a very happy boy” whose grin is often captured in photos, while the president has described him as “a lot of dog.’’ She is working with Charlie at Hamilton Dog Training Club, where he graduated Level 1 obedience class and is now in Level 2 training.

“He does still bark (a lot) at any dog he doesn’t know or any situation where he may feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed,” she said. “He is a rescue and does have some things we need to work on but overall, he is a big bundle of enthusiastic love.”

How is he getting along with Ivy and Newton? 

“Newton and Ivy immediately accepted him as part of the ‘pack’ and they were sharing dog bowls, us, and toys with him right from the beginning,” she said. “Newton enjoys having another playmate (most of the time). I think Ivy enjoys getting a bit of a break from Newton once in a while. Mostly though, you will see all three of them together.  They seek each other out.”

Ivy’s name is a cute nod to Miami’s Public Ivy designation, while Newton is named for Sir Isaac Newton (the Crawfords are both physicists).

And Charlie? “He came with his name and considering how much he had already been through, we didn’t also want to change his name on him,” Renate Crawford said, recalling a time when she was walking him on campus at the end of spring semester and a student told her that if or when she decided to keep him, they could call him Charles Darwin and Charlie for short.

Renate Crawford interacts with Newton, Ivy, and Charlie (photo by Jeff Sabo).

For 30-plus years, the Crawfords were a one-dog family. They became a two-dog family during the pandemic with Newton’s adoption.

“Now we are at three; WOW. That was never the intention,” she said.

And while two dogs make a pair, “three is A LOT,” she joked, adding, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” 

However, it does pose some logistical challenges at times.

“I am trying to master the art of walking three dogs at once,” she said. “It goes really well, until it doesn’t — and I get dragged or become tangled in leashes.”

Together, the dogs total about 250 pounds, she noted, “so it can become a ‘who is walking who?’ situation fast.”

Through the years, she has become a familiar sight out on runs with a canine companion. 

“At the moment, I run with two dogs at a time. I take Charlie and either Newton or Ivy. Ivy is the best runner but as she is just about 9 years old, I don’t want to overdo it. Newton will come on a run with me for my benefit, but if there’s no ball involved, he’d rather not run.

"Charlie is becoming a great runner as well. He definitely needs to run, for all of our sakes,” she quipped. “You won’t want him to come to any event on his full energy level.”