Early Sunday morning Uga X, the white English bulldog, will ride to Indianapolis for the College Football Playoff National Championship game between Georgia and Alabama. Its owner and guide, Charles Seiler, will drive. “When I pull out his Suburban and wash it, he sees me doing it,” says Seiler. “And then I go into his closet and take out his clothes and then I pack his food. And then he’ll know it’s time to go and he’ll be nervous until we get in the car. “
Uga (pronounced uh-guh) has a romantic ancestry: Charles’ parents, Sonny and Cecelia Seiler, got tense during their senior year at the University of Georgia. They received a fateful wedding present: a white English bulldog. They took him to a pre-game lunch while Sonny was in law school in 1956 and then took him to the game at Sanford Stadium. Georgia won 3-0 against Florida State. It wasn’t a captivating performance other than the sight of a bulldog in a handcrafted leotard. Uga was invited to every subsequent game.
Nine ugas later (all descendants of the first), the Seilers of Savannah are still the keepers of the Georgia Bulldog. “They all look very alike, and they all have pretty much the same disposition. We choose level-headed and polite dogs, ”explains Seiler. “When the dog is on probation, we try to get one that is really docile.”
On game day, Monday, this Uga (or Cue, as his family calls him) will be busy. He is slated to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America, followed by a play date with his English bulldog, Butler Blue IV, who serves as the mascot for the host city’s Butler University. Seiler anticipates these activities will nearly drain a puppy, so Uga will rest until play time. “We’re trying to make him take a nap because if he’s done a lot in the morning he can just sleep through the night when the game rolls around.”
Photo: Courtesy Charles Seiler
Uga sleeps in his travel box.
Once the ball is in play, Uga will patrol the sideline enjoying what Seiler calls a “poor man’s air conditioner” (a fan that blows over an ice pack) since his custom air-conditioned dog house in Athens is too heavy for it Travel is. Fortunately, Lucas Oil Stadium offers bulldog-friendly conditions with the roof closed and an expected temperature of around 70 degrees.
After the clock runs out, Georgia may or may not emerge champion; Kirby Smart may or may not beat Nick Saban. Nobody knows yet. But there is no doubt that Uga will get his treat after the game. “All he knows is that afterwards he’ll get a little leftover like Chick-fil-A or Five Guys from the players’ food,” says Seiler. “This is the highlight of the trip for him.”
