Chemistry professor Ryan Stowe met his wife, Megan Varnum, just a week after she adopted Joe Cool, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named for Snoopy’s bad-boy alter ego. True to his namesake, Joe broke the rules the first time he met Stowe: Joe was so excited, he had an accident. Stowe happily helped Varnum give Joe a bath. Now eight years old, Joe is still getting the royal treatment from his owners. He even has three sets of special stairs to reach his favorite sleeping spots around the house: the bed, a certain blue chair, and the couch.
Joe is also popular with Stowe’s students. The dog is a regular feature on Stowe’s slides in class, and he sometimes makes in-person appearances during Stowe’s office hours. “People come in and play fetch with him and feed him things,” Stowe says. And Joe is a magnanimous host. “Joe feels an obligation to greet every new person. Even if you’re person number 30 and he’s tired, he will get up and slowly walk over to you for a pat.”
Here’s what makes Joe — and, in turn, his owners — happy.
Why a Cavalier King Charles spaniel?
They’re just super-sweet dogs. They want to be with you. They want to cuddle. If you want to play fetch, at least, Joe is game. He loves playing fetch. If you want to walk, he can walk several miles. But if you want to just snooze on the couch — totally cool.
Any pet siblings?
No, he’s an only child.
Spoiled?
Yeah. Definitely.
What’s his rap sheet look like?
He doesn’t really do much wrong. He’s fine with cats and other dogs. He almost never barks. He’s pretty great.
What are some of Joe’s strengths?
He’s excellent at guilt-tripping you. He’s very quiet. But if I’m working on the couch or something and he wants to play fetch, he will take the ball and move it ever closer to you. And then, when it’s sitting on your foot, he will just sit there, and he will look at you. He won’t blink. He’ll just stare you down for as long as it takes.
What about quirks?
We’re not entirely sure that the front half and the back half talk on Joe. Sometimes, he will kick and then look around like, “What just happened?”
What are some of Joe’s aversions?
There are a number of times he will not get the ball. If the ball touches the trash can — impossible. If it’s on a step in the middle — impossible. He doesn’t understand you can stop in the middle of stairs.
Any favorite toys?
He loves stuffed animals, but he destroys them. We’ll get stuffed animals that are made for 150-pound Great Danes or something, and this little, fluffy dog will hold it with his little paws and just rip it apart.
How about snacks?
He’s really into cheese. If you get out some sort of cheese that you are about to shred, you accidentally shred cheese on the ground like every time. It’s to the point where, when it comes out, he comes in and immediately looks at the ground — he’s ready.
Is Joe an outdoorsy type?
Joe would immediately die if he were outdoors for like an hour. He’s a little more dependent on us, and he’s more of an indoor dog.
