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QuickTake:
Thor, the bomb-sniffing canine for the UO police department, met Peter, the canine influencer who travels with ESPN personality Kirk Herbstreit. Cue the wagging.
Saturday may have been a wash for the Oregon Ducks with their 30-20 loss to Indiana, but it’ll be remembered as the weekend two titans of industry finally crossed paths.
You guessed it: Peter finally met Thor.
Let’s backtrack for a second.
Thor is a 5-year-old silver Labrador and the centerpiece of the University of Oregon Police Department’s explosive-detection canine unit. In short, he’s a bomb-sniffing dog who’s spent his days since joining the force in 2022 keeping the thousands who attend games at Autzen Stadium safe.
Peter, on the other hand, lives a life of luxury. The 2-year-old golden retriever is the celebrity pet of ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit, traveling by private jet from college town to college town and starring on Herbstreit’s 760,000-follower Instagram account.
Before “College GameDay” went live from campus Saturday morning, Herbstreit posted a video of himself and Peter captioned, “We’ve got a loooooooong day ahead of us buddy,” that drew more than 34,000 likes.
Hold my chew toy, Thor must have thought.
By the time the Herbstreits arrived on set, Thor had already been at work for hours. Normally, Thor and handler Anthony Button arrive four hours before kickoff to sweep the stadium before nearly 60,000 fans enter. But thanks to “GameDay,” the pair started on campus at 3 a.m. Saturday.
“We did a quick sniff around the perimeter, and then on the stage and the entry and exit routes for the on-air talent,” Button said.
Thor is the only bomb-sniffing dog in Eugene. The next closest is in Salem, meaning Button and Thor must be ready on a whim when needed. It took Thor about 20 weeks of training to imprint on odors. On workdays, he can be called in for bomb scares — such as his first big call to South Eugene High School in 2023 — dignitary protection details or to just patrol around the UO campus.
“It’s a perishable skill, so we try to do at least 10 to 20 hours of training a week to keep those skills up,” Button said. “It’s basically a game of hide and seek.”
It’s not all work. At home, Button said, Thor loves nothing better than sleeping on the furniture. Around campus — thanks in part to a growing Instagram presence — Thor is regularly approached for pictures and pets.
As long as he’s not actively working at a football game, Button said that’s usually fine. In addition to his snout, Button said part of Thor’s purpose is community engagement. When given the keys to run the unit, Button said his only instruction was to get a dog with floppy ears.
“It’s nice to have a friendly-looking dog instead of a big scary one,” Button said.
Thor is friendly, but he takes his work seriously. He’s largely indifferent to other dogs, which is why Button was far more star-struck than Thor when given their weekend assignment.
On Friday, they were on Pat McAfee duty, following the eccentric show host around campus. They were outside the “GameDay” set when Button first noticed Peter — followed by Herbstreit — exiting a trailer.
Herbstreit saw Thor and asked Button if the two dogs could meet.
Peter approached Thor. They wagged. They exchanged information. Then Thor was over it.
“I was probably more excited to see Peter than he was,” Button said. “He does a good job of letting people give him pets and love, but then he’s ready to rock and roll and get back into work mode.”
