Spooky is a “Hilltopper that needs a home.”

That’s what Sara Ferguson, Recycling and Surplus coordinator, said of the Australian shepherd who has made the south end of campus her home, living under the Service and Supply Building for about the last year.

Although it can’t be said for certain, Spooky is believed to have jumped out of the back of a truck two or three years ago. Since then, she has called various parts of campus and areas near WKU her home.

Paula Davids, athletic marketing assistant, first noticed that Spooky was living in the woods near the Soccer Complex and began feeding her over there.

“I just knew she didn’t look like she belonged to anybody,” she said.

Spooky then made her way down the Hill, where she settled in at SSB.

Davids continued to feed Spooky after her move and learned that Jenny Lee Castaldo, a purchasing associate, was also feeding her.

The two teamed up, splitting days to feed Spooky. Davids brought a doghouse to SSB for Spooky and outfitted it with straw to keep her warm in the winter, she said.

Spooky also enjoyed heated meals and Thanksgiving leftovers, Castaldo said.

Spook, as Ferguson calls her, has been too skittish to let anyone touch her until recently, which is how she named earned her name.

Over the last month, Ferguson has made it a point to give the pooch a treat on a daily basis.

“Anytime I would see Spook outside my window, I’d run outside and give her a treat,” she said. “And she would never take it from my hand, of course.”

But, a couple of weeks ago she let Ferguson scratch her ears and rub her belly.

“She just loved it — I could tell she did,” Ferguson said.

Now that Spooky seemed to trust people, Ferguson took her to the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society to have the dog’s health checked. With the exception of a now-healing bump on her nose, Spooky is in good health.

“From the moment we picked her up, she’s just a totally different dog,” Ferguson said. “She’s licking your face, wanting to be in your lap, wanting love, and it was the strangest thing.”

Spooky was going to be sent to a rescue in New Jersey on May 19, but Ferguson decided to take care of her until a local family takes her in.

Ferguson said Spooky plays well with her other two dogs, fetched, sits on command and is housebroken.

“She’s kind of been her mascot on this end of campus for a number of years,” Ferguson said. “I hate to see her sent out of state to go to a rescue or a home because she’s a loving, sweet dog who could be ready for a loving home tomorrow.”

“She’s special to Bowling Green. She’s kind of like — not an urban legend because people have seen her — but when we finally took her to the shelter and that day we caught her, they were like, ‘Oh my god, is that the WKU dog?’

“Everyone’s been talking about trying to catch that WKU dog for two years.”

Castaldo agreed, and said although she enjoyed being greeted by Spooky every day, it’s time for the canine to find a good home.

“She has been our dog for quite some time,” Castaldo said. “She’s a really smart girl and she really deserves a good home — she really does.”