Two weeks before they returned to campus, Stanford Hall residents were notified through e-mail about the loss of dorm dog Honey.
Honey, a golden retriever, was 15 years old.
Residents were affected by the loss of Honey, who was described as a "comforting presence" by Assistant Rector Dan Sathre.
Stanford Rector Father Tom Gaughan said Honey was "very gentle and people-friendly."
"She was like a little person with a tail," Gaughan said.
He jokingly listed Honey on the duty-board as an RA.
"She's always on duty, always looking out for the guys here," he said.
He said that he planned to keep up Honey's plaque for the year.
Gaughan adopted her when she was nearly eight-years old, and she passed away at the age of 15 years.
"We spent seven years, nine months and one week together," Gaughan said.
He said that he wanted Honey's memory to encourage adoption, especially of older dogs.
Priests at Notre Dame have been unable to get permission to adopt new pets since 2001, Gaughan said. Pets like Honey, who was adopted in 1999, were grandfathered in under the old rules that allowed pets.
"If that policy changes [again], I would be open to adopting again but I don't foresee that happening soon," Gaughan said.
Honey was euthanized because her age put her in a lot of pain.
"She couldn't stand or walk," Gaughan said.
Freshman Minh Nguyen said he sometimes accompanied Gaughan as he took Honey on walks.
"Honey's almost like a part of the family," Nguyen said. "It's hard to explain."
Father Tom said that "every day brought" an enjoyable experience with Honey.
"I'd be out walking and I'd let her hunt," he said. "Everyone on the main quad would stop and laugh at her intensity," he said.
Freshman Colin McNamara was deeply saddened to hear the news.
"Sure, my eyes welled up," he said. "I loved that dog."
Freshman Franco Zarama doesn't have a dog at home, but he said he will miss Honey.
"Sometimes we students can get bogged down," he said. "Having a dog made it all seem more real, less intimidating. She made us feel more at home."
Andrew Deck, a senior in mechanical engineering, said he had kept dog biscuits in his room when he lived on Stanford's first floor. "Honey would come by and I'd give her treats," he said.
He said that a few friends that didn't know about Honey saw the biscuits in his room. "They asked some awkward questions about my dietary habits," he said.
Sathre recalled Honey's special fondness for squirrels.
"Even though she was pretty old, when she saw a squirrel, her ears would perk up and she would just take off," he said. "That always amazed me."
