Augie Earns his Wings: SUNY New Paltz Goose Herding Dog Passes

Throughout our lives, we have all encountered a few special animals. Maybe a barn cat that always greeted you on the way in every morning to make sure you fed them first. Maybe an awesome bird that captivated you at a Hudson Valley raptor show. Or maybe it was a working dog that always made doing their job seem easy and entertaining. I have a feeling Augie may have been just such a dog.

Over the weekend, the State University at New Paltz shared the sad news that Augie the goose-herding dog had passed away on July 13th at the age of 15. Augie had retired from goose chasing on campus in the 2010s according to an article published by SUNY New Paltz News. In the Fall of 2021, Augie and his Supervisor Mike Malloy made their retirement official but they still had many friends and fans on campus.

SUNY New Paltz Goose Herding Dog Passes at Age 15

Augie wasn't just a talented goose-chasing dog. Augie was also the main character in two locally well-known children's books "Augie Goes to College" and "Augie Goes to the Library".  Both books are written by Rachel Rigolino a SUNY New Paltz grad of the class of 1993.

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Goose Herding Dog Augie's Passing Saddens New Paltz, NY

According to the SUNY New Paltz Facebook post from July 16th, 2022, Augie came to the college from a West Virginia Farm where he had been rescued and trained to herd birds without hurting them. SUNY New Paltz News added that for years Augie and his Supervisor Mike Malloy herded and relocated geese as a sustainable and humane solution to the campus' geese problem.

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