UIndy celebrates the fifth anniversary of Crimson Greyson Veritas — but all his friends call him Grady.
Marketing and Communications Manager and Live Mascot Handler Coran Sigman used to joke about getting a dog as a mascot when she was a student at UIndy. This was the running joke for years until Sigman brought it up while planning for UIndy Day in 2019 to generate excitement.
“I jokingly said, ‘Well, we could get a dog,’ and suddenly it wasn’t being shut down anymore,” Sigman said. “It wasn’t so much a joke anymore.”
In 2018, Floridians voted to end commercialized greyhound racing, and it fully phased out by 2020, per The Florida Bar. While researching other university live mascot programs, Sigman knew the racing tracks would start closing and many racing dogs would soon need a home.
“I so strongly believe in adoption for animals,” Sigman said. “We knew that it would be irresponsible for the university to go to a breeder when hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs needed a home … Finally, in October of 2019, they brought Grady up to Indiana.”
Grady is owned by the university, but Sigman is his full-time caretaker. The university had to ensure Grady meshed well with her other dogs and had a good temperament for the job.
“He fit in so well, and it was the hard thing about keeping it a secret from campus for over a month,” Sigman said. “I had to hide him or show up either super early for work and leave when I didn’t see any students outside, and kind of sneak him in and out of buildings.”
Grady has become an icon, being the first live mascot in almost 40 years at UIndy. He enjoys his job; every day is filled with treats, scratches and photos.
Here are some fun facts about Grady:
- His favorite snacks ranked in order: (1) peanut butter, (2) pup cups from the Perk, (3) any toddler scraps.
- The first toy he had when he became the mascot was called Frank the Dragon.
- He loves getting scratches behind the ears and underneath his collar.
Grady the Greyhound has worked his way into the heart of the UIndy community. His program is donor-based, and people can support the program at uindy.edu/grady/support.
