JOHN JAY COLLEGE–A special member of Admissions joined the usual staff members and student tour guides welcoming prospective students at John Jay’s Fall Open House. With long, droopy ears and a wrinkly snout, Jameson, John Jay’s very own bloodhound mascot eagerly greeted attendees as they stepped foot into John Jay.
For the second time that weekend, Jameson was accompanied by his owner and handler, David McMorris, on his trip down to John Jay from their home in Union Vale in Dutchess County, New York. The pair had been at Homecoming the night before to cheer on the basketball teams in their first home games of the season.
Before Jameson, McMorris has visited John Jay with a bloodhound every year since 2013, but his journey with bloodhounds started about ten years before that.
After McMorris and his wife Melinda retired from breeding and training Irish setters, McMorris was ready to say goodbye to the world of dog breeding. That was until his son, a bloodhound handler in the New York State Police Department, brought up the issue of a bloodhound shortage in police departments. Roped in by his wife’s agreement, McMorris rescued two bloodhounds, Otis and Major Rudy, and the couple formed R-Dream Kennels.
