Q: My grandfather spoke recently about a dog that came to classes and was buried on Georgia Tech’s main campus. Can you tell me if this is true or concocted?
A: Your grandfather’s story is true. He was talking about a terrier named Sideways.
The white terrier with a black patch over her right eye became a part of Tech’s campus at the male-only student body at the time (1945), according to atlasobscura.com,
At eight months old, the puppy was thrown from the window of a moving car on North Avenue and found by a woman who owned a boarding house on the same street, according to the website.
There are conflicting stories on whether the dog was thrown or tumbled out of a car. Tech’s website says that the puppy fell from a car window at the Varsity.
Various stories also exist regarding whether the pup had surgeries or was taken in by students and nursed back to health.
The severity of the injuries forced her to walk at a slant and led to the name Sideways.
Georgia Tech’s website shows her on campus, attending lectures and marching with the drill team.
“Sideways would often accompany students to and from their classes, displaying a preference for certain professors’ lectures. It was said that she would sit up and listen raptly to interesting lecturers, while she would curl up and sleep for a less engaging speaker,” according to neonpoisoning.blogspot.com.
“She spent every night in a different dorm room, and get her meals at Brittain Dining Hall. Sideways often had run-ins with the law and was frequently caught by the dog catcher, but was always bailed out by her loyal student benefactors,” according to the website.
Sideways died in Aug. 14, 1947, after eating rat poison, according to a report in the AJC. She was almost three years old.
Next to the Evans Administration Building, just northwest of the Tech Tower, you will find a small monument to Sideways. Look for a small gravel path attached to the sidewalk that leads you to her site. You will find a black and white picture of Sideways and the inscription “Ever Faithful and True Companion of Student Body of Ga Tech.”
Now a long-standing tradition, students leave pennies on the marker for good luck on tests and assignments, reported by the AJC.
At the base of Sideways’ marker you will find about $3 in pennies and a few silver coins left by hopeful students.
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