Beyond running on the field for football games, Mission III still has an eventful life as the official mascot of NIU.
On Jan. 27, 2023, Mission III was introduced as the successor to Mission II. Now, he serves as the face of NIU, bringing joy to students throughout campus.
This joy is possible due to a set schedule. According to Mission’s owner Lisa Boland, although Mission has some flexibility in his schedule, she is strict with his meal times.
“I try to keep him on a fairly regular schedule, just because I find that consistency is the biggest thing for most dogs, especially for him,” Boland said. “He’s just a very routine-oriented dog in general.”
Part of this routine is slotted out for Mission Mondays, where students can find and meet Mission III throughout campus.
Mission has his favorite spots during these trips around campus.
“He has come to love his spot directly in front of Starbucks in the student center, and it is because he knows the baristas very well there,” Boland said. “He knows he can expect to get his pup cup after every Mission Monday.”
In addition to Mission Mondays, our mascot is involved in a variety of events, where organizations can book a visit from him.
Both Mission and Boland enjoy spending time with organizations on campus, with Mission feeling like a Hollywood star during events.
“It’s been really cute, especially over the last year, to see him just key into people like students, faculty and staff when he hears words like ‘cute’ or ‘wow’ or ‘good,’” Boland said. “And you can see him toss his imaginary hair like ‘me?’”
When the red vest comes on at NIU, he changes from home to school behavior. According to Boland, Mission is trained to behave when the vest is put on.
“He knows what school means, and that’s specifically because I train him to be quiet in the vest,” Boland said.
But after the vest is taken off, Mission begins to show his husky nature. At home, Mission tends to be vocal.
“He loves to share with me all of his thoughts, his grievances, his attitudes and opinions,” Boland said. “He’s very loud. Fortunately, he has a beautiful voice, though.”
According to Boland, Mission enjoys lunch meats and being paid the cheese tax.
“Thanks to his bestie over at the Alumni Association, he’s developed a very significant taste for prosciutto,” Boland said. “But cheese in general, you’ll often see us working with string cheese. He loves American shredded cheese and any kind like that.”
To earn these treats, Mission does a trick or poses for the camera. Mission knows how to do a variety of photo tricks, such as shaking hands with his paw.
“When he’s taking photos with people, he can sit and I can sign him to a camera, and he’ll actually look at the cell phone,” Boland said.
When work is over, it’s play time for Mission. Boland explained Mission loves completing puzzle toys. But similar to other huskies, Mission tends to destroy toys at home.
“I’m sure he would say his favorite toy is like some little dollar stuffie that I dug out of a PetSmart bin or something like that because then he can just shred it up,” Boland said.
To keep up to date with Mission III, visit the Alumni Association webpage or through Mission III’s official social media page.
