The Calling of the Dawgs

The University of Georgia is known for its strong community and the sound of barking. The community is built on tradition, spirit, and love. Barking is a significant part of the UGA experience, especially during football games. The barking creates a sense of unity and brings people together. The UGA community extends beyond the stadium, impacting the entire campus and the city of Athens. Barking is a symbol of pride and belonging. It is recognized nationwide, even by alumni and fans who are not physically on campus. The UGA community is supportive and helpful, particularly in dorm life. The strong community at UGA contributes to the success of academics and athletics. Barking is a simple yet powerful ritual that brings people together and improves mental health. The UGA community is widespread and well-known, with alumni and fans in every state. Barking is a symbol of school pride and is a recognizable sound associated with UGA. What sound do you associate most with UGA? Barking. Barking. Barking. The University of Georgia is without a doubt one of the most widely regarded universities in the U.S. Every year more and more students apply, hoping and dreaming that they will become a future Bulldog. Students come from right here at home in Athens, every part of Georgia, and the Bulldog nation even extends nationwide, with many out-of-state students originating from shore to shore. There is something so special about this university that attracts a multitude of students every year. It's the community that has been built rich in tradition, spirit, and love since 1785. This community can be described with one very simple sound, barking. You are listening to the Georgia Bulldogs. I'm your host, Jessica Hagerman, and in this episode we will be diving into the specific sound that defines the UGA community as a whole, barking. This sound is recognized by many UGA students as being the main sound of UGA, and has helped develop the community on many levels. This is going to be a short 10-minute podcast outlining the community associated with UGA, where we hope to get you excited about the next few years here. Joining us today will be Keon and Ben, who are out in the field interviewing students about their time here so far. Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday We are two years reigning champions with back-to-back national championship wins in football. Georgia football is what the school is most recognized for. Every sports fan knows the Georgia Bulldogs, and no student will want to miss a glorious Saturday in Athens. There is nothing better than calling the dogs with their friends between the hedges. Barking is so significant for these moments because the spirit it creates binds the entire stadium. No matter your age, gender, background, or story, we are all Georgia Bulldogs. Barking in that stadium with thousands of others creates a strong sense of community. So, um, what are some of your favorite memories associated with barking? At the Tennessee game, while waiting in line to go through the gates, every single person in line barked at all the Tennessee fans walking by. I was driving through Georgia Tech's campus, and I rolled down my window and started barking, and people started throwing eggs at my car. At the Tennessee game this year, some of the Tennessee fans came and took my parking spot, so me and all my friends rolled down the windows and barked at them. Amongst the sea of red, black, and white, in the hot Georgia sun, there is an indescribable sense of pride felt as the entire crowd screams. At football games, calling the dogs together with the crowd bonds perfect strangers into friends. Barking holds such a special place in students' hearts and is the key to beautiful memories that will last us a lifetime. Our biggest regular season football game was the Tennessee game. The two best teams in college football were going head to head. Both the ticket prices and excitement were sky high. The start of the game was a little rocky, however the Dog Nation was not going to let that get into their heads. We stood side by side and continued barking after every first down and every kickoff. The Dogs started scoring quickly and put on a very impressive performance. Although the whole nation expected this to be a close game, the Dogs stunned the Vols 27-13. We showed the world how strong our community truly was. The Bulldogs chanting together even managed to keep the noise over 100 decibels for the entire game. But the job wasn't done yet. The fans had to call the Dogs one more time to hold that national championship trophy. And we did just that. We beat TCU 65-7. The Dogs were national champs once again. My favorite story of barking is after the national championship win this year when all the fans flooded the streets and everyone was just barking and calling the Dogs. After we won the championship, the streets exploded with students and fans alike. Throughout the night, countless screams of barking and Go Dogs could be heard through the excitement. The entire city was filled with celebration, practically riots. This all goes to show that our community is not limited to the stadium, and football isn't the only place we see this tight-knit community. The impact of barking on the whole campus and the city of Athens is enormous. Everyone from the students to the grocery store workers in downtown Athens participate in the Bulldog Nation. The barking and calling of the Dogs are simple yet powerful rituals that really tie together the community of Athens. It feels as if everywhere you go is home. And everyone you meet is family. What about you, Keon? What are some of your favorite memories of barking? Well, when I first got my acceptance letter to UGA, my mom was so excited. She bought everyone in my family UGA merch, even my dog. She got him a fleece jacket and a toy. When I went home, I'd always watch the football games with my family. And anytime we scored, we'd all bark at the TV. Does that include the dog? Yeah. He'd always go nuts whenever we started barking. Neighbors would come over too for the games. My family and I are just so thrilled to be part of a strong community like UGA. How about you, Ben? Yeah, the community is definitely awesome. My pastor from my hometown church would actually bark at me anytime he sees me. He's always happy to talk about UGA. UGA's outstanding academics and athletics could even be in part due to the calling of the dogs. A tight and cheerful community motivates our sports teams to do better. This ritual also supports the students' mental health because it reminds them that they are surrounded by people who have their back and are in this together. This improved mental health leads to better academic performance, physical health, and overall improved quality of life. This idea of students never barking alone is integrated in all of us. We see it everywhere on campus, from free Chick-fil-A, from a student's alumni council, to signs all over campus talking about the Bulldog Nation. With that in mind, dorm life is another pillar of the UGA community. As an incoming freshman, you will come to know how the UGA community is embracing and helpful in many ways. Once you move into your dorms, you will meet so many new faces that will likely stick with you until you leave to pursue a further career. No matter what, you will have people at your side, helping you every step of the way. This is what the UGA community is all about. Being from out of state myself, it shocked me how well-known the Georgia Bulldogs were. I live in New Jersey, 14 hours north of campus, and ever since I got into this school, I have noticed how widespread the community is. In my small town, I'm constantly meeting alumni, students, and fans of UGA. In high school, people would bark at me if I wore a Georgia shirt to school. It is truly amazing how this simple sound has become so well-known across the U.S., finding Georgia Bulldogs together even if they aren't physically on campus or still in school. In fact, my dad even gets noticed in my hometown. Although he isn't a Bulldog himself, he's proud to be associated with the school and wears his UGA merch all the time. He frequently gets stopped in public by many people and always can't wait to tell me stories about who he meets. Hey Dad, can you tell me a story about barking? So, I spent my nice Sunday morning at the shop right in the food store. As I'm walking through the produce aisle, I hear, Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Go Dogs! And I turn around, and I sit there with my Georgia Bulldogs sweatshirt on and hat, and a little old man looks at me and says, Go Dogs! And I said, you know, Nice to meet you sir, how are you? He goes, when did you graduate? I said, well, I didn't graduate. And he laughed. I said, my daughter goes there. She's a freshman at UGA. And he goes, oh, I graduated in 1975 from the School of Pharmacology. And, you know, I'm a Bulldog at heart. I said, well, I'm an adopted Bulldog. Clearly my daughter is a Bulldog. And he went on to tell me all his great stories about being in the School of Pharmacy in 1975, wearing bell-bottom pants and barking like a dog at Georgia football. Now, my second Bulldog adventure happens to be at the shop right again, walking this time in the pharmacy aisle, although, you know, I wasn't buying anything there. A little old man comes shuffling up to me, and again, Bark! Bark! Bark! Go Dogs! Because I, of course, wear my Georgia gear everywhere I go. And he looks at me. He goes, I have two kids that, you know, go to Georgia. I went there and graduated in 1981. I was on the cross-country team. And I graduated a daughter and a son from UGA. But, unfortunately, I have a grandchild that goes to Tennessee. And I'm like, oh, who do you root for? This was before the Georgia-Tennessee game this past season. I'm like, who do you root for? He goes, well, clearly, the Georgia Bulldogs, because that's where I went to school. And he barked at me, and I barked back. And then we went our separate ways. The Bulldog Nation reaches every state, and barking is a symbol of our school community and pride that is recognizable everywhere. Thank you for listening, and remember, Go Dogs! Go Dogs!