Archie the bulldog spreads joy to Miami high schoolers

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

 

Photography: Marlene Quaroni | FC

MIAMI | Archibald Chesterton Carroll III isn’t royalty – but to the kids at Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High, the 11-year-old English bulldog reigns over the hallways.

• ‘Top dog’ on campus

For more than a decade, “Archie” has long been a staple of ACC’s community, spreading joy wherever his four paws take him. Established in 1998 in Kendall, Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School serves close to 550 students. The school is run by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles in addition to lay administrators, faculty and staff. The high school’s beloved four-legged mascot has roamed the hallways for years, greeting students on their way to class, coming to sporting events and pep rallies, and even accompanying the school’s drumline at events.

More than that, Archie accompanies students and staff through their best days and their off-days.

“Archie is involved in everything at our school,” said Carmelite Sister Margaret Ann Laechelin, principal, who named him. She praised his people-loving nature: “The dogs that I had as a child weren’t like Archie. They didn’t have Archie’s personality.”

Before the school acquired Archie from a school parent in 2015, families would bring their own bulldogs to school activities, said Nicole Merlin, administrative assistant and class of 2010 alumna.

Archie isn’t only a mascot: he can be amazing therapy, according to Patricia Bezold, accommodations director.

“When I interviewed for the job at ACC, I was nervous,” she recalled. “Archie recognized that I needed some assurance, and he came over and sat next to me.”

Marla Torres, tenth-grade guidance counselor, remembers when Archie helped a student who was crying.

“The girl was having a panic attack,” Torres recounted. “Archie could sense that she needed comforting. He went over to her, and that helped her overcome her anxiety.”

There are many stories in the Church about the bond between humans and animals. It’s said that St. Anthony the Abbot, patron saint of animals, healed the blind piglets of a wild boar. Here in South Florida, Father Juan Carlos Salazar, pastor of St. Martha Parish in Miami Shores, credits his dog for helping him escape a house fire in 2024.

• ‘Pets are a gift from God’

“Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “God entrusted animals to the stewardship” of human beings, “whom he created in his own image.”

Archie lives with the Carmelite Sisters. When they visit their motherhouse in Alhambra, California in the summer, Romy Woo, ACC admissions assistant, volunteers to care for Archie.

“He keeps my bulldog, Apollo, company,” said Woo, whose son is a recent ACC graduate. One thing to know about Archie: “He’s quite a snorer.”

Woo always makes sure to send photo updates to Sister Margaret Ann so she can stay connected with the beloved pet even in California.

Archie is an old pro at navigating the school’s campus, even though he’s not quite as athletic as he used to be. “When he was younger, he would climb the stairs,” said Sister Margaret Ann. “Now, he’s more mellow. One of his favorite activities is taking a ride in the golf cart and cruising around campus.”

Whether bringing a smile to kids’ faces during a sporting event, or providing a source of comfort for someone in need, Archie is an integral part of the ACC community.

“Archie is bulldog pride, part of our Bulldog family,” said Sister Margaret Ann. “We love and cherish him.”