Chris Freeman and I chatted about the pros and cons of this dog breed, and when I mentioned I live in Storrs, I discovered not only is he a UConn alum, but also he was lead singer of the celebrated UConn band Poor Old Shine, aka Parsonsfield. A few weeks later both Freeman ’12 (CLAS) and I had made treks to a farm in Appleton, Maine, and returned with 8-week-old pups, Freeman’s Fergus and my Tuxedo, now 2 years old. The Aussie thread running through my life has created countless meaningful connections, some momentary, some lifelong. And now my UConn affiliation is doing the same — on and off campus. I’ve encountered, and had memorable conversations with, gear-adorned Huskies across the U.S. and in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Florence, Italy — so far.

Freeman’s and my shared connection to both UConn and Northampton intersects with Aussies another way. When I first worked with writer Peter Nelson, a frequent contributor to this magazine, he had an Aussie named Alice, who was a fixture in downtown Northampton. I could often find Nelson by glancing down the street to whatever eatery an unleashed and perfectly behaved Alice was waiting outside of, accepting treats and pats with enthusiasm heavily tilted in favor of the former. Nelson is now part of a nonprofit Freeman runs that is working to restore a revered Northampton music venue. Read all about it in Nelson’s story.