Quill and Dixie can be seen chasing each other or begging people to throw sticks for them through the fence surrounding the Knoll.

The two dogs belonging to President Steven Leath and his wife Janet Leath are important members of their household.

“They’re a huge part of our lives,” Mrs. Leath said. “They’re not just dogs; they’re part of the family.”

Their yellow Labrador, Quill, the younger of the two, is an award-winning duck and pheasant hunting dog.

“Quill is just the sweetest dog. He’s so much fun to be around,” Mrs. Leath said.

Dixie, a five-year old Golden Retriever and yellow Labrador mix, is what Mrs. Leath describes as a “funny dog with a lot of personality.”

“Dixie and I are very close. She’s one of those rare dogs that is very tuned into people,” Mrs. Leath said. “She’ll look at me to see how I’m reacting to something to see how she should react to it.”

Dixie and Quill are loved by many students throughout campus. Mrs. Leath explained that it’s not uncommon for students to stop by the Knoll to play fetch with or pet the dogs.

“As [President’s leadership class] students, we can schedule times to take the dogs for walks or simply go play with them,” said Sarah Olson, a member of the President’s leadership class and sophomore in pre-business.

Quill was recently featured in a breast cancer awareness campaign for a photo of him retrieving a Mallard Duck.

“The Pink Whistle Society was created in 2009 by the Hunting Retriever Club’s foundation,” Mrs. Leath explained.

The society was created to help raise awareness and raise money for the Susan G. Komen cancer research fund after a member of the Hunting Retriever Club died from breast cancer.

Several companies use the Pink Whistle Society logo in their ads to help spread breast cancer awareness.

Marsh Mutt, the company that used Quill’s image in their ads, selects a featured dog of the month from photos submitted on their Facebook page.

“I thought it was a good cause, and I was very pleased that our dog was a part of that,” Mrs. Leath said.

Quill and Dixie are currently both dealing with health issues.

Dixie has a benign tumor in her left leg that affects blood vessels.

“Right now, she’s on a type of a chemo drug that should help to keep the tumor from growing,” Mrs. Leath said.

Quill became ill unexpectedly earlier this week. Mrs. Leath explained that Quill was ill the night of Jan. 29, but the Leaths didn’t realize it until morning.

“We got him to the vet [Wednesday] morning, and they did x-rays to rule out a serious illness,” Mrs. Leath said. “They think there is an obstruction; we’re probably looking at surgery today.”

The cause of Quill’s illness is still unknown, but it is likely that the obstruction was caused by a small stick or some other indigestible object that he may have swallowed.

Although the Leaths are experiencing a difficult time with their dogs, Mrs. Leath has no problem recalling happy memories of Quill and Dixie.

“They love each other,” Mrs. Leath said. “If they’re in the mood to play, they will run as fast as they can across the yard, jump up into the air and wrestle with each other; it’s really funny to watch. They’re interesting dogs.”