(AP) The University of Georgia's interim bulldog football mascot, who got the job late last season after Uga VII died unexpectedly, will get a chance to extend his unbeaten record.

The 5-year-old dog, called Russ, is a half-brother to Uga VII, who died Nov. 19. Russ strode the sidelines in Georgia's season-ending victory over Georgia Tech and again in the Bulldogs' triumph over Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl.

Frank "Sonny" Seiler, owner and breeder of Georgia's bulldog mascots since 1956, says Russ is too old to inherit the job permanently, but will stay on for a few more games.

Seiler says he has several puppies under consideration for the role, but all are too young to take over at the start of the season.

Sonny Seiler, whose Savannah family supplies the Uga mascots for the Georgia Bulldog football team, says it will likely be well into next year before Uga VIII is chosen. Uga VII died last month after only two seasons on the Sanford Stadium sidelines, passing away after suffering what looks to have been a heart attack. Seiler is dismissing claims from critics who say overbreeding of the White English bulldogs contributed to Uga's ailment.

That was Uga VII's half-brother Russ on the sidelines for this weekend's Georgia Bulldog victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Russ substituted for the Bulldog mascot that died earlier this month. University officials say Russ will also be with the Bulldogs when they make their bowl appearance, likely in late December. There has been no decision on whether he will be Uga's permanent replacement.

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals has a suggestion for the University of Georgia, which is looking for a replacement for Uga VII, the Georgia Bulldog mascot who died last week in Savannah: PETA says the University should use what it calls an "animatronic dog," or use a person in a costume. PETA has sent its suggestion via e-mail to University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans. The PETA e-mail follows...

 

In the wake of the untimely death of the University of Georgia's (UGA) bulldog mascot, Uga VII, PETA has asked the school's athletic director, Damon M. Evans, to replace the mascot with an animatronic dog--or to rely solely on a costumed mascot--instead of using another real bulldog. Bulldogs are prone to breathing difficulties, hip dysplasia, heart disorders, and other congenital ailments, and acquiring a dog from a breeder perpetuates the animal overpopulation crisis while causing another dog waiting in an animal shelter to be condemned to death.

 

"It is time for the university to put an end to the cycle of suffering endured by dogs who are brought into the world solely to represent the school's 'brand'," says PETA Assistant Director Kristie Phelps. "By choosing a humane alternative to the use of live animals as school mascots, UGA can show that compassion always wins."

 

 

 

(AP) Uga VII, the mascot of the University of Georgia football team, has been buried next to his father at Sanford Stadium.  The 56-pound white English bulldog died Thursday of heart-related causes.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that only university dignitaries, members of the family that owned the mascot and a few members of the media were at the Saturday memorial for the 4-year-old dog. The public was not invited. Uga VII had been the team's mascot since August 2008.

Georgia Bulldog mascot UGA VII, in just his second season on the sidelines, has died. The beloved symbol of the Bulldog Nation suffered an apparent heart attack Thursday in Savannah. He will be buried alongside his predecessors in the west end of Sanford Stadium. UGA's death comes just before the Bulldogs final home game of the 2009 college football season, a Saturday night contest against the Kentucky Wildcats.