BATON ROUGE — Southern University and A&M College's certified emotional support animal, Skye, has died.

Skye, a 7-year-old husky, passed away on Tuesday. She was donated to the university in 2024.

Skye accompanied Southern University Police Department officers and the SUPD crisis interventionist counselor on calls, attended student events and was on call for students.

"We are all heartbroken," SUPD Chief Joycelyn Johnson said. "Skye was a very special part of our family and she will be missed. Students really embraced her; they would come by the police department just to see her. She really made a major difference in our community policing efforts."

Johnson added that, because of Skye's positive impact on campus, an emotional support animal will always be part of her team.

"Skye received optimum care and lots of love here at Southern," said Dr. Tyra Davis, campus veterinarian and program lead for pre-veterinary medicine in the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences. "Sadly, she was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in January. We believe her death is a sequela of the disease."

Lorenzo Bennett, a Southern alumnus and owner of Four Paws Pet Cremation, donated cremation services for Skye. A memorial will be held on campus at a later time.

The University Counseling Center will be open for students from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Campus and community mental health resources are available here.