Whether it’s playing fetch from the sidelines at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium or trolling on social media, Juice Kiffin is the (unofficial) mascot Ole Miss didn’t know it needed.
Juice, a yellow labrador owned by Ole Miss Football Head Coach Lane Kiffin, was originally purchased from Wildrose Kennels for Kiffin’s daughter, Landry Kiffin, to have as a pet. Over time, however, Juice became a celebrity in his own right, recognized and loved by Ole Miss Football fans and college football enthusiasts across the nation.
But what does Juice’s day look like when he is not parading through the Walk of Champions or snuggling up next to his family?
While Juice does live with the Kiffins, he is trained daily at Wildrose Kennels. The kennel is part of an international chain of establishments that has been producing and training British and Irish Labradors for decades. Wildrose Mississippi is owned and operated by Tom Smith — one of the many dog trainers at the establishment. It is here that the canines partake in obedience training and learning gun dog skills.
Smith explained that what sets Juice apart from most of the other dogs is his ability to stay focused and calm despite the chaos and noise that have surrounded him from a young age.
“The lucky thing about Juice is that nothing really fazes him,” Smith said. “He was only six and a half months old when he started doing the Walk of Champions, and that’s a lot of stimuli for a young dog, (along with) being in the stadium with how loud it is and everything. Once he got used to all that, he was easy to train.”
Smith highlighted a few of the skills that Juice has picked up while at Wildrose Kennels. Juice usually performs retrieving and hunting exercises flawlessly during his training time. Smith added that Juice’s tee-retrieving skill was just one activity he practiced while at the kennel.
“He just got so used to it. A couple of weeks ago, I had to wake him up to go get the tee ‘cause he was sleeping on the sideline,” Smith said of Juice’s unique tolerance for noise.
While the university is familiar with Juice’s presence, so is the town of Oxford. Juice often travels to town for charity events to take pictures with and charm the townspeople.
Juice’s calm nature makes him a favorite visitor of elderly people in assisted living homes, as well as hospitalized children. The pup is a regular visitor to these facilities and takes all the attention paid to him in stride.
Smith assured that Juice is not a workaholic. He does have “lazy days” filled with napping and playtime.
Juice has certainly made a difference in the lives of the people of Oxford by training hard, playing hard and sharing his puppy joy with the community. Smith attributes Juice’s strengths to his owners – the Kiffins.
“Coach and Landry (Kiffin) did a fantastic job of socializing him and taking him everywhere, so nothing really bothers him – all the screaming crowd and everything, he just prances like he’s the king of the world,” Smith said.
To watch The Daily Mississippian’s video interview with Juice Kiffin and Wildrose Kennels’ Tom Smith, visit Daily Mississippian Multimedia on YouTube or click below.
