By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
Since the beginning of the school year, Ace has spent much of his time hiding out under the desk of Assistant Principal Mike Messerly.
Ace is the new live mascot for the Smyrna High Bulldogs and was adopted by Messerly and his wife, Kelly, back in the summer.
Ace was rescued from a bad situation which did not afford him much time for exercise or socialization. So his comfort zone is under the desk, although he occasionally pokes his head out of Messerlyâs office door whenever no one else is around.
But now, Ace has a new place to spend his time, especially when heâs trotted out under the Friday night lights of football season.
Craig Kuhnle and LP Building Products recently donated Ace a custom dog house, equipped with an air conditioner and specialized materials that help keep the structure cooler.
âI wanted to make sure he had a way to stay cool, because bulldogs, typically their airways are about the diameter of a No. 2 pencil,â said Kuhnle, a territory sales manager for the Nashville-based company. âSo they overheat very, very easily, and itâs real important that they have a place to cool down.â
âAceâs House,â as the sign reads on the side, was delivered the same day as Smyrnaâs home opener against LaVergne High School.
Equipped with wheels underneath, the dog house was rolled out on the track before the game with Ace stationed next to it.
While still on the timid side, Messerly said Ace did tolerate being greeted by some students, who canât resist his cute, flappy face. But eventually, he made his way into the house once he realized it offered him some relief from the attention and the heat.
âOnce he figured out the air conditioner was hitting him, he stayed in there quite a bit,â Messerly said. âAnd of course, he got away from the kids for a few seconds. Heâs really gentle. Heâs never shown any kind of meanness.â
Kuhnle and his family have three dogs of their own, one of which is an English Bulldog. So when he heard about Ace and his story, he said they wanted to do something immediately.
âMy family and I are huge dog lovers,â Kuhnle said. âWe have adopted an English bulldog of our own. Bullies are near and dear to our hearts so when I saw that pop up and saw his picture, we just fell in love with him.â
Aceâs house is actually the second dog house the company has donated. LP Building Products also provided the house for Uga, the live mascot for the University of Georgia.
For Aceâs house, the company already had a miniature house structure it used for trades shows and demonstrations. That house was repurposed to build Aceâs house, which features the companyâs Smart Side engineered siding and Tech Shield roof sheathing, a product that can reduce temperatures in attic spaces by as much as 30 degrees, Kuhnle said.
An air conditioner and signage were added, and the result is a perfect environment for keeping Ace cool under the collar.
Ace is the fourth live mascot for Smyrna High School.
The original idea came from longtime Smyrna Principal Robert âBudâ Raikes. Big Mac was the first followed by Little Mac. Then came Murphy, who died unexpectedly at a young age.
The Messerlyâs have been involved with all the dogs but especially the past three. Mike says it was his wife who pushed for them to adopt another, and she researched a rescue group that specializes in adopting bull dogs.
âMy wifeâs fallen in love with him,â Mike said, adding that she runs Aceâs Twitter account, which has more than 500 followers already. âSheâs the one who basically did the adoption on this one. She did all the leg work.â
And while Ace likes to stay under the desk whenever possible, Mike says they have a long-term plan to build up his relationship with students.
âHeâs going to go to our animal care and veterinarian science classes at some point but weâre trying to work him into that,â Mike said.
Kuhnle, who has a child in Rutherford County Schools and likes to support the school district, said heâs simply satisfied Ace has a second chance.
âMy biggest concern is that this dog has a much better life,â Kuhnle said. âHeâs hit the lottery now with his new owners and being surrounded by loving students and caregivers.â
You can keep up with Aceâs exploits by following him on Twitter @TheSmyrnaMascot.
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