A new law ratified by the State of Connecticut went into effect Tuesday, naming the Siberian husky the state’s official dog breed. The law, Public Act 24-121, was originally proposed as House Bill 5304 this past March and was approved by the Connecticut General Assembly in June. Although huskies are native to Siberia (located in modern-day Russia), they have found a welcoming community in Connecticut.
“We love the husky,” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont at a back-to-school event in West Hartford in September.
“[Huskies are] beautiful, smart, elegant, energetic – just like Connecticut. That’s why it’s the Connecticut mascot dog, that’s why Jonathan’s the mascot of the University of Connecticut. Thank you for representing the best of our state,” remarked Lamont, according to We Ha News.
The Siberian husky joins the ranks of the Charter Oak, state tree; the cachalot whale, state marine animal; and the praying mantis, state insect, as an official symbol of Connecticut. The successful effort follows heavy involvement from University of Connecticut students and supporters, following UConn’s continued athletic success and dual men’s basketball NCAA National Championship wins. UConn’s mascot Jonathan XV, a purebred Siberian husky dog, testified in support of the bill before the Connecticut Administration and Election Committee in March.
“I am excited to be the next iteration of a symbol that unites our state and energizes Nutmeggers nationwide,” Jonathan XV said in his testimony during the hearing.
Laura Centanni, co-chair of Alpha Phi Omega’s Husky Committee, regularly acts as Jonathan’s student proxy and handler.
“As we all know, we are students today and huskies forever…The resilience, perseverance, and openness of Siberian huskies speak to the spirit of Connecticut and the qualities we strive for at UConn. While it may seem like a small gesture, naming Siberian huskies the state dog of Connecticut sends a powerful message of unity to the students of UConn and the state we’ve all chosen to call home,” Centanni said in a statement to the Daily Campus.
The bill’s passage was championed by the Connecticut Valley Siberian Husky Club and the Connecticut Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners, two nonprofit groups organized to inform and support initiatives related to the care of dogs in Connecticut. They regularly sponsor events and outings for husky caretakers and both act as chapters of the American Kennel Club.
Thirteen other states have official dogs, and some others have started petitions, including an unsuccessful attempt to make the Siberian husky the state dog of Washington in 2004, similarly modeled after the University of Washington’s mascot.
The new law also names lollipops as the state candy, owing to their early history in New Haven. In the early 1900s, George Smith started marketing hard candy on-a-stick as “Yale Lolly Pops”, and the story purports they were named after a racehorse he had seen. Smith’s New Haven-based Bradley-Smith Company patented a mechanical design to insert the sticks into the candy in 1914 and registered a trademark for the name in 1931, but the popularity of the candies resulted in the name becoming genericized. Several schoolchildren and members of the public submitted comments of support for the sweet’s new state symbol status.
Connecticut has also contributed to a number of other innovations, including the first hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and pizza (named the state food in 2021), as well as Wiffle Balls, the cotton gin and can openers among others. Numerous significant people and ephemera have the distinction of being official state figures.
Since 1934, the legacy of Jonathan the Husky has lived on through a long line of handsome pups. Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity on campus, has chartered the dynasty for over 50 years, in collaboration with a local host family who care for the dogs’ daily needs. The mascot huskies are named in honor of “Brother Jonathan” Trumbull, the first colonial governor of Connecticut, and as a play on the Yukon territory name.