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October 20, 2016
· Vol. 146, No. 6 · Random · Search About · Subscribe · Advertise · Contact
This is the Bowdoin Orient's archive site. Content from before 2017 is preserved on this site, but there are no updates.
  • Polar eyes: Dogs of the quad

     

    Katie BacallApollo and Argos10 ½ and 13 years oldBeaglesApollo and Argos have been convincing their owner, Allen Moss, to walk them around the campus for more than a decade. They love to walk on the fields behind Farley Field House and solicit pats from the practicing players.

     

    Katie BacallGordie2 years old“He’s named after the hockey player, Gordie Howe.”“What does he like to do?”“He loves to chase tennis balls. If he was off leash he would love to chase squirrels”“What does he like to eat?”“Pretty much any dog chow. Biscuits. He loves biscuits.”“Any favorite flavor?”“Beef”“What’s his hobby?”“Swimming.”

     

    Katie BacallJulietteGolden doodle1 ½ years old“Walks and squirrels!” are what make Juliette happy. To keep her happy, her owner brings her to campus almost every day. While her owner’s favorite spot is the main Quad, Juliette will go wherever the squirrels are.

     

    Katie BacallBetBorder CollieBet was first spotted running next to her bike-riding owner as they sped past a tour group. “One of her jobs is to steal the show from the people who are being taken around and introduced to Bowdoin, and so like we go by and they are all looking at her because of how boring can it be when you are being told about the buildings or something,” her owner said. When she is not distracting visitors, Bet enjoys chasing after squirrels. “She has caught a couple squirrels and it’s unclear as to whether she killed them or not… but her job is more herding and not killing.”

     

    Harry JungHannah​3 ½ years old“Do you come here often?”“Everyday!”“What does she like to eat?”“Everything!”The best part about Hannah? “She’s always smiling!”

     

    Katie BacallRaffi3 years oldPortuguese water dogRaffi’s owner commented on the numerous dog that often walk on campus. “There’s really a dog community. I don’t think there are exceptions to all of us being so grateful we can use this space and I think we are pretty respectful of it ... It’s really a great thing, we know the dogs’ names better than the people’s!”One of the best parts about the dog community is that the dogs can play with each other. For example, Raffi has a best friend, Mandy. “He plays with her almost everyday and has since he was 6 months old and they’re a little bit like Mr. and Mrs., they just are so glad to see each other everyday and race around and wrestle and carry on and then they get tired and go lie in the shade and then... off they go again!”

Polar eyes

Keeper of the keys

Hannah Rafkin
Orient Staff

October 20, 2016

Hannah Rafkin

Howe has been at Cumberland for 10 years. As he proudly advertises on his office door, he welcomes anybody in for a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. ”Everybody’s got a story to tell when they walk in here. Maybe a move, maybe a breakup, maybe damage to the house.”

College students are masters of the nomadic cycle—year after year we move in, move out and repeat. For roughly 230 Bowdoin students, Cumberland Self Storage is a crucial part of this cycle. During moments of intense transition, they lug their belongings in and out of its doors. It’s a zone of beginnings and ends, anticipation and reflection, sweat and butterflies. And manager Steve Howe has seen it all.



Hannah Rafkin

Located in the Fort Andross Mill complex, Cumberland Self Storage has been operating since 1988. It has three floors of storage lockers of varying sizes and a freight elevator—a remnant of the textile mill it used to house.

Hannah Rafkin

Walking around the maze of locked compartments, it’s difficult not to speculate about what is inside them. I walk past the locker I split between friends two summers ago and wonder what it holds now.

Hannah Rafkin

The place contains more than just mattresses and old furniture. “Once a guy came in here, looked me square in the eye and said, ‘Do you have anything against stuffed heads?’ Turns out he had stuffed moose, deer, bear. His wife gave him an ultimatum: either they go, or she goes.”

Hannah Rafkin

“Back when they created this place, they knew how to build things right and make them last.” Steve is building his own home today, taking inspiration from his workplace. “I never take it for granted.”

Hannah Rafkin

I ask him what it’s like coming to work here every day, walking alone through the mazes, closing up after dark. “The building creaks and groans and settles. I stop and I listen, and if I continue hearing noises, I look a little deeper.”

Hannah Rafkin

Howe has called Maine home since he moved here in 1976. To clear his mind, he takes to the woods to hunt, hike and fish. “I don’t waste any part of the animal,” he explained. “You take a life, you darn well better respect it.”

Hannah Rafkin

The building offers some of the best views in Brunswick, sweeping over the Androscoggin and the mill. The space is highly sought after, but Cumberland isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “I’ve grown storage so much that putting in apartments just would not be profitable.”

Hannah Rafkin

I tell him about my fascination with the space. “You’re not alone,” he says. Tenants come up sometimes to exercise on rainy days. Sometimes people come in off the street and Howe has to shoo them out.

Hannah Rafkin

“Every time I look around here, I always see something new.”



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