Nigel, a.k.a. Sir Nigel Underfoot, strikes a moody pose on Promontory Point. (Photos courtesy Lauren Henry, AB’05, and Ryan Grauer, AB’05)
Meet Nigel, unofficial canine ambassador for UChicago Alumni.
Name: Nigel Henry-Grauer
Instagram: @sirnigelunderfoot
Claim to fame: “He’s a D-list Hyde Park celebrity,” says Lauren Henry, AB’05, executive director of alumni and volunteer experience at UChicago. “Sometimes students will recognize him from Instagram: ‘Oh my god, is that Sir Nigel Underfoot?’ and they’ll ask to take a selfie.”
Why underfoot: “If he wants to go on his walk, or if you’re not following his schedule, he’ll be right underfoot. He taps you.”
Where to see him: Homecoming, Alumni Weekend, around Hyde Park
Breed: West Highland white terrier (Westie)
Age: 10
Weight: 25 lbs. “He had a bit of COVID weight gain. He’s a little svelter now.”
Origin story: In 2014, when Henry and her husband Ryan Grauer, AB’05, were living in Pittsburgh, their lease did not allow pets. Just before Christmas, she wrote to their landlords to ask if they would reconsider. She was hoping to get Grauer a dog. “They wrote back, ‘Can you let us think about it?’” Henry says. “My birthday is right after Christmas. I opened my package from Ryan, and it was an email from our landlords. He had written them before me, asking if he could get me a dog.”
Namesake: Actor, director, and theater manager Sir Nigel Playfair (1874–1934). Henry and Grauer were inspired by a blue plaque they noticed in London shortly after Henry got her birthday gift.
Nickname: Critter
Why a Westie: “I grew up with Westies. They’re a little dog with a big dog heart.”
Likes: Walks to campus and around the Point; visits to the Seminary Co-op and 57th Street Books. “I can often be found outside one or the other, flat-out lying to a dog” to get him to move along, Henry says. “‘Oh, it’s closed. The bookstore is closed.’”
Dislikes: Being brushed. “My dad says, because Westies are so stubborn, every day a Westie should do something they don’t want to do. It’s good for them.”
Favorite treats: Liverwurst, English cheddar
Enemies: Ravens. “We question his judgment, because they have such long memories. We’re pretty sure they know him. He’s probably endangering all of us.”
Admirable qualities: “I’m biased, but he’s so smart.”
Bad habits: Strong opinions. “But that’s not really a bad habit,” Henry says. “That’s something we foster at the University of Chicago.”